


Pluto

by blueseijoh



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anxiety, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Protective Kuroo Tetsurou, Rating May Change, Requited Unrequited Love, Slow Burn, Too much fluff, kuroo is a fluffy idiot here, self-love journey, the usual volleyball club manager fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 200,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueseijoh/pseuds/blueseijoh
Summary: "You are everything we need."- it's funny how the world works; one minute you're at your peak and the next you'll feel so heavy as if you can't breathe. it's funny how you want to be alone yet someone wanted you to join their world. it's funny how you really wanted to disappear yet someone managed to make you remember that life is worth living.; in which a lone planet became a part of one warm solar system that is the Nekoma volleyball team.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Original Female Character
Comments: 78
Kudos: 264





	1. A WARM WELCOME.

**Author's Note:**

> hiya! i know this will come off as one of those manager fics but some events and thoughts in this fic happened to me in real life. and also, I posted this on Wattpad first but decided t post it here as well. happy reading! :)

**KAZAHANA YUKIMI** can be described in one word — optimistic. Bringing forth a bubbly personality and an always smiling face, she made it easy blending into what her peers thought about her. If one would associate her with faces, it would always be with a dazzling grin along with a chorus of laughter — never a dejected one. But when her birthday and a wave of melancholy came, Yukimi found herself sobbing her heart out in their empty classroom with twilight rolling in through the windows, bathing her in a golden hour glow. She thought it best to not confide the bottled up emotions with her so-called friends — until the captain of her school’s volleyball team witnessed her in her most vulnerable state, entangling her into believing that even in her broken state, she will always matter.

 **KUROO TETSUROU** never had time for romance. Girls are out of the question with all the workload from his classes and the responsibility of being a captain combined. With his schedule perfectly balanced between being a complete nerd and a captain, he rejected the girls who would dare confess to him despite knowing that his hands are full. But he knew better. It was never about him being busy that he couldn’t engage in relationships — it was because of a bright smile and a sunflower attitude that made him not interested in just about anyone. However, him being fine with unrequited love changed when he saw the person he likes break in front of him. After that, an exception will be wedged in his priorities — making Kazahana Yukimi happy enough to flash that beautiful smile that managed to bewitch him in the first place.

> In which a lone planet became a part of one warm solar system that is the Nekoma volleyball team.
> 
> * * *

Birthdays were always happy celebrations. The thought of being one year closer to adulthood seemed thrilling in the prospect of others. Others find it as a way of expressing their love for the celebrant; be it surprise parties, a sudden confession of love, or a day outside with friends and family. Nobody found birthdays miserable and, especially, nobody wanted a pity party. But for a certain third-year, her birthday meant loneliness.

After Kazahana Yukimi moved away from her hometown, it always seemed as though she was on her breaking point. Being far away from her safe place and being miles away from her childhood friend, it always triggered something sensitive in Yukimi’s chest. There was always a time with her high school classmates that made her remember the quiet pace of the countryside and the pollution-free air of her hometown. But without anybody knowing what she feels inside the crevices of her heart, changing her image from being a reserved student to an outgoing one seemed like the best option.

Nobody wanted a broken person as a friend after all.

So thus, throughout the nearly three years she has spent in Metropolitan Nekoma High, the extroverted Yukimi everyone befriended didn’t permanently join any club in her third year, with the photography club in the first year ( she just joined for the sake of being in a club since all first-years must have one ) and the choir in the second year ( some of her friends told her this was her shining moment, bewitching everyone while she’s having a solo to which she will respond “ _It’s a choir, though, you should appreciate everyone else, too!_ ” ). Sensing that her last year in Nekoma High will be the one that will make her snap, her mother advised her to not put too much stress in her school life so she chose not to participate in any club.

Now in the first year of being legal, Yukimi walked inside the classroom thirty minutes before their first period, Japanese Literature. Taking out the book she decided to borrow from the library yesterday, she took her seat beside Kagami Romio, the person beside the window, and the person she garnered romantic feelings for. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she felt her heart pound at the image of him looking out the window with those half-lidded eyes and perfect face of his. Waiting for a couple of minutes for him to greet her and concluding that he never will, Yukimi continued reading.

Romio-kun, the reason why she joined the choir last year, was everyone’s golden boy or the multi-talented student in their year level. Always so out of her league, the brown-haired boy was considered cute by many students, be it third-years or underclassmen. He managed to capture her heart when they went inside the classroom together in the first year because they came from the same prefecture. She vividly remembered how their classmates thought they had feelings for each other because Romio seemed to tag along with her and she also remembered how the boy drifted away from her to join another circle of friends.

Tightening her grip on the book when Romio’s best friend, Miyuki, sat in front of his desk, Yukimi listened on as they droned about the series they watched together as another friend of theirs joining in. It was only once upon a time she was a part of their circle but seeing as they were happier without her around, Yukimi always finds excuses to go alone ( never without her signature bright smile, though ).

“Oi.”

Despite knowing that someone called her, Yukimi continued turning page after page. The chatters beside her stopped, making her furrow her eyebrows. She felt her blood boil when the unknown person bonked her head with their bag.

“Happy birthday.”

Surprised, she turned around to meet Kuroo Tetsurou’s usual smirk. The class’ top student had his hair in his usual messy state that always irked Yukimi, with the right side of his face covered by his fringe. His inner shirt had its first button open, his red and yellow striped tie lower than the standard uniform code. Now that Yukimi noticed it, he was the first person to greet her ( well, except her Mom who surprised her with her favorite breakfast ). She couldn’t believe that the volleyball star of their school, the one guy everybody idolizes, greeted her out of the blue.

You see, Kuroo never talked to her in her three years in high school, it was always her who does the talking while being placed in the same group. This greatly shocked her since all the rooster-haired volleyball maniac does is stare into her soul all of the time. Every single day, she always caught Kuroo looking at her and when they stare at each other, the boy would look away first. She found it weird. What’s weird is that she wasn’t even that pretty, to begin with, yes, she was born with fair skin and velvet hair like her mother ( which she cut off at the beginning of the academic year ) but guys never pay attention to her. Well, Romio never paid attention to her that’s why she dubbed herself as an unattractive person.

“Are you just gawk at me or are you gonna say ‘ _Thank you, Kuroo-kun_!’?” the black-haired boy mimicked a girl's voice at the end of the sentence.

It could be that what Kuroo announced in the classroom was a switch because every single person present shouted birthday greetings to her. Turning around at each of them, she thanked them in a flustered manner but a certain greeting made her heart stop.

“Kazahana, happy birthday,” Romio told her with a smile.

With her heart pounding in her chest, Yukimi flashed him a brilliant smile which made her seatmate widen his eyes with pink cheeks. She felt as though her day was complete, it seems like yesterday Romio texted her at midnight wishing her a happy birthday. Her first year in Nekoma was probably the most bittersweet out of the three years.

“Kazahana-chan!” a bubbly voice called out to her from across the room. The next thing she knew, bright light brown eyes and short brown hair greeted her vision. “Happy birthday! You’re so cute today!”

“Oi, Yakkun,” Kuroo scolded from behind Yukimi, his hands behind his head. “Are you saying that Kazahana isn’t cute any other day? That’s harsh.” He chuckled under his breath.

Realizing his mistake, Yaku became red in the face as he sputtered for a reply. “I didn’t mean it that way, Kazahana-chan!” he retaliated. “With that short hair of yours, you flutter my heart as if it’s innate in you to enchant me! You’re so blinding, Kazahana-chan—!”

“Stop it, Yakkun,” Kuroo interrupted the shorter male as he threw his textbook at Yaku, who angrily stomped towards him. The two then bantered about acids and chemicals that most probably aid a person’s lack of intellectual prowess or the cause of short stature. For everyone, this seems like a normal morning but for Yukimi, it was far from usual. “I’m sorry for this idiot’s pestering, Kazahana.” Kuroo looked at her for a minute longer than usual as well, making her flush while telling him that it’s fine.

The classroom door slid open and their teacher for Japanese Literature walked in with a stack of books. Taking out her notebook for the subject, she proceeded to take down notes as their teacher droned his own explanation on every paragraph of the story he chose. Still paying attention, Yukimi scanned the story and took down the important sentences in the text while inserting her own annotations in her notebook.

While that was taking place, Kuroo took this as a chance in observing the class’ optimistic sunshine, Kazahana Yukimi. This is not the first time he has done this seeing as his childhood friend, Kozume Kenma, is always at the receiving end of his daily observations of the girl. Kenma, now fed up with his moping every single time, told him to man up and confess to her, resulting in Kuroo nearly taking the setter’s ear off with all his reason as to why he shouldn’t tell Yukimi his feelings.

The first one being she’s too good for him. Letting out a sigh while halfheartedly taking down notes, Kuroo looked back to the many times Yukimi showed a kindness that greatly amassed. There was that time she let Kenma borrow her own charger when the setter left it at home ( they were on the train going to school and Kenma forgot to plug in his phone ). She even volunteered to shoulder all responsibilities in group works, knowing that Kuroo had his after school volleyball practice ( Yaku was ranting in the gym about how his Kazahana-chan showed too much attention to a rooster-head like Kuroo, making the captain double the drills ). Not to mention, her smiles are always so refreshing to look at. Those are just some of the good deeds Yukimi showered him with.

The second reason, she’s out of Kuroo’s league. The girl sported many talents that the volleyball captain couldn’t keep up with. He knew how she shifted from being in the photography club to the choir in a flash. Yukimi can take photos with stories in it ( courtesy of the president of the photography club who was dismayed that Yukimi politely quit ), she can sing melodies that have the ability to ensnare a person ( he was a witness to her solo when they were second years, with her hair still long that made her seraphic ), and aside from those two, Kuroo caught her doing art one afternoon. There are more talents in that girl than anyone in this classroom combined and she probably doesn’t even know about it.

Third is …

Kuroo looked at where Yukimi fixed her gaze at. Kagami Romio.

Ah, yes. The tragic love story from when they were first-years. Kuroo knew about how Romio and Yukimi were inseparable in the first weeks of the first year, both of them from Miyagi and transferring to Nekoma after junior high. Kuroo already figured that it wasn’t only him that Yukimi had captivated. Yaku, being the gossiping moron he was, told him that Romio had feelings for the girl but he chose to distance himself because he wanted what’s best for Yukimi. They even confessed to each other, making Kuroo’s heart pinch to this day.

Seeing as Yukimi still had feelings for her seatmate, he told himself to keep his feelings to himself ( and Yaku, and Kai, and Kenma, basically all of the volleyball team ).

The day flashed by and the next thing Kuroo knew was that he was in the gym with his team doing drills. Today, they were told by Coach Naoi to do spiking this afternoon while Coach Nekomata told them to proceed on ‘three-on-three’s after the drills. InterHigh season is right around the corner and both coaches instructed them to hone and polish their skills and to strengthen their teamwork. However, in the middle of practice, Kuroo remembered that he left his textbook on his desk.

Apologizing to Coach Nekomata, he ran through the buildings until he reached the third-year floor.

“Damn, why did I forget it,” Kuroo murmured, scratching his head. “Coach will probably double—“

He trailed off when a familiar figure was still seated on the chair in front of his. Their head was on the desk, covered by their arms. Taking a step closer, his eyebrows furrowed when a familiar sheen of black greeted his vision. What was Kazahana Yukimi doing at this hour? It’s practically sunset right now and everybody has gone home except for those who have club activities. Looking around, Kuroo noticed that the whole floor was deserted. Sighing, he placed a gentle hand on Yukimi’s shoulders. He felt her stiffening, her shaking shoulders subsiding and her breath coming out heavily.

Yukimi then hastily stood up, surprising Kuroo, and dragged her bag from the small hanger of the desk. When she passed by him, Kuroo furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her expression, tiny sobs coming out of her mouth.

“Wait—,” Kuroo tried calling her but she practically ran out of the classroom.

Thinking that Kuroo won’t let her run away this time, he stretched his arm out and caught her wrist then pulled her to his chest. He heard her shocked gasp when he embraced her, engulfing her small frame in one of the tightest hugs he ever gave to a person. Thinking that the girl in his arms ( finally he can call her that ) could probably hear the thundering of his chest, he placed his chin on the top of her head with a prominent blush.

With Yukimi still tensed up, Kuroo whispered. “You can cry all you want, you know? Stop bottling it up and let it all out.”

The moment he uttered the last word, Yukimi broke into a loud sob. Feeling his own heart break, Kuroo rakes his fingers through her hair while the other hand creates patterns on her back in an attempt to calm her down. The two continued embracing each other as one of them bared her heart out, letting her guard down, while the other welcomed her lonely world into his warm one.


	2. MORNING LOVE LETTERS.

When Yukimi entered the classroom, she was met with a sight that wasn't usually occurring in their rowdy room. Most of her classmates were crowding around her desk. Furrowing her eyebrows and tightening her hold on the school bag over her shoulder, she made her way towards her desk with measured footsteps.

"Hey, Kazahana-san is here!"

"Your morning will be a good one, Kazahana."

"I want that to happen to me, too."

From that last remark, she incredulously stared at one of her classmates who had their hands on their faces, a dreamy look painted on it. What was that about? She shifted her attention to her desk and there was an enveloped letter placed directly on the center of the table. What made her blanch was that the envelope was pink and it had a heart to seal it. This was definitely not her cup of tea.

Out of reflex, she took a glance at Romio from the corner of her eyes and she noticed that he was not looking pleased at all. This surged Yukimi's heart with hope, thinking that it could be from Romio. Even though the envelope wasn't Romio's style at all, she still wished it would be from him.

"Oya? A love letter?"

Kuroo was grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat and Yukimi was not liking that at all. Just like yesterday, his uniform was slightly open and his tie was still loose over his collar. Yukimi swore that she heard some of her classmates sigh. With half-lidded eyes, Kuroo snickered under his breath and stared at the enveloped letter clutched in the short-haired girl's hands.

"Read it first before you conclude something," he told her with a smirk.

"What-?"

"Yeah, read it first, Kazahana-chan!" Yaku yelled from the other side of the classroom.

Thinking it best to listen to them, she sat down and hung her school bag in the small hanger of her desk. Feeling bored of a sudden, the short-haired girl then took out another book from her bag, this one her mother brought home late at night yesterday. Delving into the underwater world of whales and children born from the sea, her mind drifted to the book she finished late last night, deciding that she should return it to the library when the lunch bell would ring.

The teacher seemed to be running late so Yukimi turned chapter after chapter until she felt a hand lightly hitting her head. She looked up at the front and was met with their teacher preparing for another lesson in calculus. Huffing a breath, she took out her notebook from her bag and listened to whatever lesson they left off the last time. Being in the college preparatory class, their workload is more than the average classes and now that they were in their final year, them being third-years, they were always pressured by some of their teachers to pursue technical courses when they would go into college.

Kazahana Yukimi wanted an art course but being a neurologist wouldn't be so bad.

In their calculus class, their teacher would always write problems after every lecture so that their class could test if they paid attention to the concepts well. However, in today's class, their teacher decided to make them solve countless problems without starting the class with the usual concepts. Almost groaning, Yukimi remembered that she was excused in their last meeting in calculus because she was appointed to be in a contest regarding renewable energy. It wasn't that she regretted entering the contest but she missed an important class because of it and she should've thought of her grades first instead of being in a research convention.

"Pst," Kuroo whispered behind her.

She subtly turned around when their teacher was busy writing on the board and gave the rooster-haired boy a glare. "What?" she spat.

"You weren't here last time so I figured you couldn't catch up with the lesson," Kuroo stated.

Yukimi scoffed. "Obviously, big brain," she whispered.

The boy rolled his eyes. "I was thinking of teaching you yesterday but it seems like fate has other plans," he retorted.

This made Yukimi flush a bright red that nearly made Kuroo laugh out loud. Nobody has seen her that vulnerable before and she intended to keep it that way until the end of her stay in Metropolitan Nekoma High, and as Kuroo said it, fate has other plans.

"Well," she bristled. "I'm sorry that my being emotional ruined your plans."

Kuroo's eyes widened. "That's not it at all," he retaliated. "You even left me here in the classroom if you don't remember after you just poured your feelings out to me."

"If you wanted to maintain your class standing, Kuroo-san," Yukimi hissed at him. "I suggest you let us attempt to solve the problems written on the board because unlike you, right now, I wanted to learn."

Kuroo held his laugh. "Attempt," he parroted, putting his fist on his mouth to hide his escaping sniggers.

Yukimi rolled her eyes. "Not all of us are geniuses, okay?" She then turned back to the front but not before a blue notebook slid in her peripheral vision. Scared that their teacher might catch them, she quickly snatched it and placed it on her desk. She gingerly opened it and saw Kuroo's tidy scrawl of equations and derivations that made her notes feel insecure for some reason. Smiling out of the blue, she continued grinning as she flipped through Kuroo's notebook, finding it helpful in calculating some of the problems.

Thinking about it, the enigma that is named Kuroo Tetsurou has been at the very bottom of Yukimi's priorities, if not, it should never be listed there in the first place. Well, the very first one in her long list of priorities being the dedication to her studies and following close behind are her feelings for Romio, but that would be unlikely to hold on since the boy never showed any motives in wooing her. But, as much as she hated to admit it, the school's star has always intrigued her since she entered Nekoma. She once overheard the volleyball team when she was passing by the gym back when she was a first-year, and by volleyball team, it's Kuroo talking. She heard his determination to be in the nationals just as everyone else, but there was something in his voice that made her stop in her tracks.

Though she promised herself to steer clear from the boy, Yukimi found herself changing her view of Kuroo on her birthday. Because, apparently, Kuroo is a subject of everyone's wants. People wanted to have his brains and wits when it comes to academics. People wanted to have his way of fabricating words that could charm, not only girls but their male schoolmates as well. People wanted to have his skills in being one of the most talented middle blockers in Tokyo ( Yukimi studied the positions when she was very young because her childhood friend seemed to pursue it ). And lastly, people wanted to date him.

Kuroo definitely has a reputation among the girls in their school. With looks like that, everybody is expected to be bewitched. However, while many girls braved themselves in confessing their feelings for him, Kuroo politely ( take note of the politely ) declined and rejected every single one of them. One time, Yukimi caught their class representative bawling her eyes out in the classroom, surrounded by her friends because Kuroo told her she was not his type. Yukimi thought Kuroo was being picky seeing as their class rep is a beautiful young woman, she knew how to hold herself up pretty well and Yukimi appreciated that.

"He told me that his type was the silent type," their class rep cried at that time. "I don't even understand him! I can be the silent type if that's what he wants but he directly told me he likes someone else. Well, I don't see him set his eyes on another girl here in school! How am I supposed to believe his words?!"

Yukimi pitied her. Their class representative deserves someone better. Better than that smirking, arrogant, and rooster-headed freak.

Letting out a small sigh, Yukimi settled under the shades of the many trees lining the school's courtyard. With her feet happily feeling the grass beneath her ( she liked to take off her outdoor shoes and socks whenever she sits on any grass plain, a habit she picked up when she had picnic dates with her mother ), Yukimi took out the bento she prepared. She quickly dove into the egg rolls she put all her effort into perfecting while having her eyes on the book opened on the grass in front of her. The shouts of the students in the surroundings drowned as if being underwater as she immersed herself into the origins of galaxies and ocean festivals.

Kazahana Natsumi, a woman who always lifted herself up despite all the hardships, was the one who gave her the book and also greeting the short-haired girl the happiest birthday. Their household only consisted of the two of them, as it always was. Just like any other day, her mother would go out early in the morning, even before she would wake up, to report to her office and would go home late at night, making Yukimi learn all of the household chores. When her mom would have the day-off, the bubbly girl would then proceed to try making the desserts she watched on the internet and let the older woman judge.

Unconsciously smiling at the banana milk her mother left for her early that morning, Yukimi didn't notice the hazel gaze drilled into her from the other side of the pathway.

"You know," Yaku mumbled through a mouthful of cafeteria bread. "With that stare of yours, one would think you want to shoot lasers to Kazahana-chan. Tone it down, man!"

Kozume Kenma, the childhood friend of the said person who shoots lasers, looked up from his game with the echoing 'Game Over' a few milliseconds later and stared blankly at his friend. "Please don't scare Kazahana-san," he quietly said. "She's the only girl I have taken a liking to."

At this, Kuroo swiveled his head towards the dyed head of Kenma, who was ducking his head to take out another bread they bought from the cafeteria. "Kenma!" he shouted. "Don't tell me you've fallen in love with her when she handed you her charger?! You should be respecting my feelings, Kenma, I thought you were my friend!"

Kenma furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Kuroo weirdly. "And what's it to you if I like Kazahana-san?" Kuroo looked like he has been struck by lightning. "And by the way, why don't you tell that to Yaku-san, he obviously likes Kazahana-san."

"Yakkun is different!" Kuroo practically shouted.

"How is that supposed to be different?" Kenma pointed to Yaku, who had flowers in the background from daydreaming many scenarios revolving around the lovely Kazahana Yukimi.

"You bastard!" Kuroo told Yaku.

"Now, now," Kai reprimanded them with sweat dripping his brow.

Just a regular situation of the volleyball club, indeed.

Meanwhile, as the two third-year regulars of the volleyball club bicker, the subject of their adoration tidied up her bento, wrapping it with an orange handkerchief. Taking out her thermos tumbler from her bag, she chugged the cold strawberry juice she found in the refrigerator and returned it in its compartment, along with the book she was currently reading. Noticing a pink stationery paper, she lifted it and was met with the supposed love letter she received earlier. Eagerly opening the flap, she unfolded the piece of paper.

The scent was a mellow lavender, she noticed, making her smile.

However, the content of the letter wiped the smile from her face. The familiar handwriting was not mistaken and the manner it was written and the words used. But she couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the annotation in the margins of the paper.

* * *

> _Kazahana-san (-chan! / -senpai!),_
> 
> _We know you expected someone else to send this letter but we couldn't help but send it this way (actually it was only Taketora and Yaku who wanted to write and wrap it this way, saying it would make you swoon but I doubt it. — Kuroo). As we were saying, with the permission of the faculty, namely our adviser, and the two coaches of the Nekoma volleyball club (they are the kindest! — Fukunaga), we, the volleyball club, want you to be our manager for the rest of the academic year._
> 
> _This will not overlap with your academic priorities because the top of the class of the third-years is within our clutches as well (Why do you make it sound like I'm imprisoned here? — Kuroo). In fact, we want you two to study with each other! (Okay, who the fuck wrote this? This wasn't in our agreed outline._ — _Kuroo / As if you don't want that, tee-hee. — Fukunaga / I want to study with Kazahana-chan as well! — Yaku <3)_
> 
> _We will be terribly disappointed if you won't accept this and it would terribly affect our practices and plays as a team. (I feel ashamed to be a part of this team. — Kenma / Shush it, Kenma. — Kuroo)._
> 
> _We will be in your care._
> 
> _— With lots of love ( ~~mostly from our captain~~ / STOP IT! — Kuroo), NEKOMA VOLLEYBALL CLUB_

After reading the paper, Yukimi was left dumbfounded. From what she heard from her friends, their school's volleyball club is a rowdy group of people. They even have the student who sported a gangster get-up, though Yukimi doesn't see anything wrong with having your hair in a Mohawk. In contrast with her friends' opinions, the volleyball club for her is a group of kind people. Well, Yaku Morisuke is one of them and she always felt comfortable talking to him ( except those times when he would remind her how radiant and lovely she is ) and also Kozume Kenma, the second-year Yukimi gave her charger to. Not to mention, Kai Nobuyuki from Class 4, the always smiling schoolmate of hers.

It definitely is a happy club, based on the notes scribbled from different handwritings.

Thinking that she had finished the letter, there was a scribble at the back of the actual letter. Yukimi widened her eyes when she read it.

> _You will never be sad when you're with us. You are everything we need._

Unbeknownst to her, and the constant times she will deny it, Yukimi finally found her place in the many solar systems of Nekoma High and it just so happened that hers was the most incredible one of all.


	3. ONE AFTERNOON

Staying up late is a part of every student's ( every teenager basically ) schedule. Whether it be the nightly routine of revising for the many subjects the course brings or being fixated on the screen for too long because of video games and timely series streaming online, one would be lying if there was never a time they stayed up late. For Yukimi's case, her reason for not hitting the sack when she finished her homework and revisions aggravated her out of the blue, seeing as the cause of her indecision is placed delicately on top of the covers beside her.

It was nearing ten o'clock and her mother told Yuikimi that she should be going home at this hour. She tried reading the book she left hanging because she fell asleep on the train home but she didn't have the strength to absorb the next paragraph. She kept rereading the same sentence all over again which terribly frustrated her. in an attempt to distract herself, she even tried opening her textbooks as a way of preparing herself for the upcoming topics, but Physics definitely took a toll on her ( she could hear her classmates whining in her ear, " _Why are you already studying?! It's the beginning of the school year!_ " ). And with her short attention span, she couldn't watch too many episodes of the series one of her classmates recommended her.

This was so unlike her.

Taking the letter for the nth time, Yukimi felt herself scrunching her face as she flipped open the pink envelope once again, the faint trail of the lavender-scented paper flitting through the air. How did the Nekoma volleyball club know her favorite scent is lavender? Thinking that it could be the only scented paper left in the stationery section of the bookstore near them, she shrugged it off as a coincidence. The folds on the paper indicated how many times she reread it, which made her huff.

Bringing the letter with her downstairs, the short-haired girl turned on the lights in the kitchen and turned to the refrigerator to pour herself a glass of milk from the unopened carton. Perking up at the sound of the front door's lock clicking, Yukimi looked at the opening of the kitchen leading to the living room and smiled when she saw her mother rubbing her right temple while taking off her heeled shoes.

"Welcome home, Mom," she greeted.

Natsumi looked up from placing her outdoor shoes on the shoe-rack and gave her daughter a smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're up late," she noted, putting on the soft indoor slippers Yukimi bought a while back. "I'm home." She took off her shoulder bag, leaving it on the couch in the living room, then walked towards her daughter. The older woman kissed Yukimi's head and prepared herself a cup of coffee. "Why are you still not sleeping, Yuki-chan? Do you have a quiz tomorrow? It's still too early in the school year for that."

Yukimi chuckled. "Well, you don't know some of the new teachers at Nekoma, Mom," she answered. "They could have a pop quiz as many as they want in one class."

"Wow," Natsumi exclaimed. "Nekoma really did change from when I was a student there." She then laughed a little and stood in front of her daughter on the island counter. "But I guess that's not what kept you up so late. Now tell Mama, Yuki-chan, spit it out."

Giggling a bit, Yukimi never complained about her Mom's never-ending curiosity about her life. She already knew how protective her mother is of her and it is a parent's instinct to know just the slight discomfort in their child's life. Well, Yukimi never had any problems with her mother being that nosy because she would relay the tiniest details of her high-school life to the older woman. Heck, Natsumi even knew how hard Yukimi has fallen for Romio. _There are no secrets in this household_ , was what Natsumi reminded her.

"There was this club," she started, which made her mother rose an eyebrow in intrigue. "And you know how much I preferred to focus my attention on my academics, Mom, that's why I even quit the choir back then. Oh, I forgot to mention, it's a sports club."

Natsumi rose both of her eyebrows in surprise this time. Her daughter was always inclined to the arts, as what her late husband always took pride in. Their little family when they were still settled in Miyagi always supported Yukimi whenever she had a singing contest or whenever the little kid found her time to paint. Literature, music, and arts were what Yukimi used to build her image when she was in elementary and junior high which was enough information on the personality of her daughter. So by her saying that she got recruited by a sports club, Natsumi didn't know if she should be happy now that her daughter broadened her interest or be concerned because her daughter was that big of a klutz.

The older woman remembered how Yukimi fell down the stairs ( with only two or three steps to spare ) because she was in a hurry to practice for the upcoming cultural fest when she was a second-year. Well, those times have been hard because Yukimi never participated and received a bad sprain afterward.

"That's a surprise, what club is it?" she asked, her eyes never leaving her fidgeting daughter from the rim of her coffee mug.

"Volleyball."

Natsumi spluttered, causing Yukimi to stand up in concern because her mother was seen choking on her coffee. Once she had calmed down, she gave an apologetic smile to her daughter. "Don't mind me," the older woman waved off. "But, sweetie, volleyball? Are you sure about that?"

The short-haired girl only shrugged in reply. "They're only asking me to be their manager, though," she said.

Natsumi brightened at that, her previous concerns of her daughter playing on the court and then injuring herself in the process flew off her mind. Hell, her daughter probably never played sports in her entire life. But being a manager was definitely a green sign because Yukimi might have the chance to find new friends there. "Then why didn't you say so?!" the older woman said rather cheerfully, which made Yukimi look at her curiously.

"Is it that important?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter, either way, Yuki-chan," Natsumi replied. "What matters is that you have another set of people who you would call your friends. You already know that I'm all for you exploring other fields if it means you get to meet great individuals while doing so."

Yukimi playfully rolled her eyes. "I have friends, too, Mom."

Her mother's face turned soft in an instant. "And I know that you were never happy with them. I've seen you with those friends of yours, Yuki-chan, and one thing I noticed is that you have that sad look in your eyes. I know you felt like you belong with them but I just know you were trying for their sake, not for yours." She noticed Yukimi looking at the countertop. "That's not meant to hurt you, Yuki-chan. It was meant for you to finally realize that if you're uncomfortable with them, you can always find new friends, no need for you to hide who you truly are."

Well, her mother truly hit a spot there. Not that it's a bad thing because the very words of her mom at the moment always flashed by her mind a couple of times.

"I'm not hurt, Mom," she smiled, looking at the unfinished glass of milk. "I think I needed that."

Natsumi returned the smile, reaching over the counter to ruffle Yukimi's hair affectionately. "I'm glad to know that," she told her, turning back to sipping her coffee. "So, are you going to accept that invitation of theirs to be their manager?"

"I'll think about it."

Natsumi hummed in response. "By the way, I'll be the one preparing your bento tomorrow," she cheered. "To make up for the weeks I haven't done that, Yuki-chan, because you deserve my delicious cooking once in a while." While roaming her eyes over the counter, Natsumi saw the pink envelope beside the glass of milk. "Did that Kagami boy send you that?"

Confused at what her mother was talking about, the older woman pointed to the envelope on the counter with a sly smile. Yukimi then felt herself flush pink. "N—No!" she exclaimed, making her mother snicker. "This is not from Romio at all! In fact, this is from the volleyball club, this is their way of asking me to be their manager! No need to jump to conclusions, Mom!"

Natsumi scoffed. "Don't even deny that you haven't thought of that before you read it," she teased.

Yukimi groaned. "Mom," she pleaded. "This," she gestured to the envelope. "Isn't Romio's style. If he ever sent it, it could be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, not so eye-catching."

"Are you saying that that letter is not aesthetically pleasing to you?" her mother asked, slightly intrigued. "You know, there are hundreds of girls out there wishing to be in your position — receiving love letters and whatnot."

"Again, this is not a love letter, Mom."

Natsumi rose her hands in defense. "Okay, whatever you say, Yuki-chan!"

* * *

May is fast approaching and the workload the teachers placed on the students gradually increased. There wasn't a time where Yukimi wasn't fussing over her laptop, proofreading the papers their teacher required of them, or reading over her textbooks or her notes. But thanks to her not being in any club, she found herself balancing and breezing through the subjects easier than she thought. But that doesn't mean she already forgot about the volleyball club's request.

"Kazahana-san," her classmate ( her closest classmate ), Machida Naoko, called out to her. "We were planning on eating outside tonight." The tall boy gestured to their close-knit group and that includes Romio. Yukimi weighed the different outcomes and she opened her mouth to tell her answer but Romio interrupted.

"I won't be coming with you, Naoko," Romio deadpanned, causing a reaction from their other friends. "Miyuki isn't going, too, we have club activities."

"That wasn't surprising," Okano Haniko, a slim girl and an active member of the dance club, voiced out, her hand placed on her hip. "But, Romio, the others will be waiting for us, you know. Nao-chan over there told me so, and plus, we're planning on having a Korean barbeque dinner tonight."

Romio looked at Yukimi for a second and turned back to Haniko. "I can eat by myself later tonight," he told her. "And I have a tight budget right now."

"Oh, come on!" Nakata Kane, a member of the literature club, flipped her hair and looked at Romio in an intense manner. "You've been telling me how much you craved Korean barbeque and kimchi the other day! Just because Nao-chan invited another person, you just had to up and leave us. Just come with us!"

Thinking that she could be intruding in their group, Yukimi looked at the side and acted that this banter never bothered her at all.

It was always like this when it comes to them — Naoko inviting her to random group studies and get-togethers with his friends and when Yukimi would agree, some members of their group would deny the invitation. She sighed and faced the one who offered her the invitation. "Machida-san," she stated with a soft smile that made everyone stop their arguing ( Romio and Naoko had blushes on their faces from Yukimi's smile ). "I have something to do today so I might not be going with you." She then bowed slightly. "I'm sorry."

Naoko blinked out of his trance. "But you didn't have any clubs, Kazahana-san," the boy said. Yukimi raised her eyebrow at this. "It's not an insult, Kazahana-san!"

Yukimi laughed. "It's quite alright, Machida-san," she replied. "I can always come next time, I just have to go to the staff room to talk to our adviser."

In realization, Naoko's other friends went to her. "I heard you're picked to represent the school again, Kazahana-san!" Miyuki exclaimed, making Yukimi blush at the amount of attention she received. "You're so amazing, as always."

"This is a convention prepared by Tokyo University, right?" Haniko asked, pure interest painted on her face.

Yukimi nodded.

"Wah," Kane expressed. "So that's where you're planning on going to college, then?"

"It depends, Nakata-san," she smiled.

When the lunch bell finally rang, Yukimi never felt that relieved in her life. She always avoided those kinds of interactions from her classmates but every single time, she couldn't manage to escape, except for right now. The lunch bell is truly one's savior. Excusing herself from the group, she went out of the room, her wrapped bento and chosen book clutched in her hands. Right when she was about to turn around to the hallways, she bumped into a chiseled chest.

"I'm sorry, Kazahana," Kuroo's voice rang, his large hand wrapped around her waist to steady her. "Are you alright?"

Yukimi replied with a smile and a nod and passed by him, leaving Kuroo to stare at her retreating figure.

"You know, you can't make her come back with that stare," Kai told him with a smile, making Kuroo flustered.

"What are you talking about, Kai?" he exclaimed. "I don't like her at all!"

Kai looked at him weirdly. "I didn't say you like her," he reminded.

Kuroo combusted in a flurry of excuses as he tried hiding the fact that he was left speechless at the carefree smile of his long-term crush.

* * *

It was the very first time the Nekoma's volleyball club's coaches offered them an afternoon free of practice. Well, the first time in the academic year. Their coaches informed them of the upcoming practice matches in different prefectures ( the reason why they had a day-off, with the coaches arranging everything and all ) since InterHigh is just right around the corner, seeing as next week would be May and it's going to be one month away from the preliminaries. But right now, the volleyball team decided to eat out in one of the convenience stores near the school as a celebration for the day-off.

"I want yakisoba bread, Kai-senpai!" Taketora expressed, making Kenma cover his ears.

"Ice cream for me!" Yaku added.

"Me too," Fukunaga told the third-year.

Kuroo heavily sighed. "Why don't you come with us and go inside the convenience store, huh?" the rooster-haired captain informed them, an irk mark visible on his forehead. "It's not that hard to do at all, you nincompoops."

Now with their own snacks, the volleyball team sat in front of the convenience store. Kuroo looked at the popsicle stick on his hand solemnly, head full of thoughts that Yukimi probably rejected their offer of being the club's manager. It was a full week and the girl has yet to give them an answer ( well, if she says no, Taketora would be their last resort of begging to her, probably put this gangster look into good use ). He knew how busy that girl is, heck, she was even picked to represent the school to be in the convention at Tokyo University, which will be held in two days. But he couldn't deny how cute she looked with that blush on her face while their class adviser acknowledged her in class.

Kuroo laughed to himself.

"Stop doing that, it's creepy," Kenma's flat voice told him.

"I can't help it," Kuroo replied in a loud voice.

"Is it _kirei_ -senpai?" Taketora asked, his mouth full of yakisoba bread.

"What did you call her?" Kuroo asked Taketora with an intimidating stare.

Yaku bonked him in the head while eating his ice cream. "Kuroo, a friendly reminder," he said, making Kuroo turn to him questioningly. "You're not his boyfriend, stop being an ass when someone's admiring her, for heaven's sake!"

Kuroo deadpanned, "I did not say that I'm her boyfriend. What is with you guys? I don't want to be her boyfriend yet!"

The whole team looked at their captain with blank faces. Kenma scrunched his face in disgust.

"Stop that, it's annoying," the setter told him.

Kuroo groaned.

"Uhm, excuse me," a familiar voice called out to them, making Kuroo stiffen.

Kazahana Yukimi was standing in front of the team, catching her breath in puffs. The short-haired girl straightened her posture and flashed them a bright smile.

"Is that the sun? I'm blessed," Taketora absentmindedly murmured.

Tucking her bangs behind her ear, she bowed and told them the words that they always wanted to hear since they asked her.

"I'm willing to be your manager. Please take care of me!"


	4. HEART-RACING MOMENTS.

The trip to the University of Tokyo was exhilarating and tiring at the same time. In reality, there never was any contest, just a research convention and a series of lectures — and Yukimi enjoyed every single bit of it. With her stay funded by Nekoma High, the short-haired girl was offered to stay in the university's residence halls, despite the fact that Nerima is only a thirty-minute trip from the renowned institution. Not taking that many belongings with her, Yukimi checked her daily bag for any forgotten things, turning around to close the room she was given.

Being the only one sent out by the school meant that there wasn't any person to interact with and as much as Yukimi tried denying it, she definitely missed the company of other students. Venturing to Yasuda Auditorium, the hall where the lectures are taking place, Yukimi made herself comfortable in one of the cushioned seats of the auditorium with the pork buns she bought from Hongo Central Cafeteria. Placing the new notebook her mother gave her for her trip, the short-haired girl prepared herself as the lectures started taking place. Every lecture would last for about three hours, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, and Yukimi wanted to focus her entire attention to the lecturers now that it's the last day. One would think that having two lectures for four days would be just as easy as listening to classes but the lectures are actually heavy to process, in reality.

The first day, Yukimi encountered a person who is working for NASA and he was telling the selected students the satellite Japan had just launched months ago, he explained it in such a detailed manner that Yukimi nearly wanted to apply at NASA. The afternoon came that day and robotics took place, engaging the participants to make their own robots after the introduction. The second day was all about digital arts — how to design your own website and business logos and how people would market their products in an aesthetically pleasing way. As an amateur artist, Yukimi promised herself to buy a drawing tablet now that the lecturer told them to afford it if they want pleasing works at the end of every sketch. The third day stood out the most to her since an alumnus of the Faculty of Medicine and Experimental Research covered the whole day. She was beaming when she arrived in her room from buying dinner in the cafeteria.

Forensic pathology was the topic for the last day and it sent a frenzy to the Nekoma high-schooler. Throughout her whole life, Yukimi has always squirmed at the site of an open body with the organs visible to the eye, but her mother scolded her ( " _You are planning to enter med school, Yuki-chan, you should not be afraid of the innards of the human body!_ " ). Well, her mother is right. With the lecturer talking in front of how many bodies they were dissecting to solve a crime and how their job has been in demand for years, Yukimi listed being a forensic pathologist in her many courses to be considered.

On the morning after the last lecture, Yukimi, waited at Shiru Café with the teacher accompanying her with her thick notebook full of scribbles and notes from the lecture. Futaba Mahiru is a woman in her thirties and still unmarried, which was the source of conversation for the two, with Mahiru-sensei complaining to Yukimi that she envied the youth nowadays for being in relationships faster than the speed of light. Yukimi pitied herself for feeling the same way with Mahiru-sensei, but her realization quickly dawned at her — every time someone confesses to her ( which is once every blood moon ), she would reject them in a heartbeat.

She has been envisioning herself in relationships but couldn't have the guts to make it happen.

That's sad.

"Here you go, Yukimi-chan!" the bubbly Mahiru-sensei chirped, placing the tray of their orders on the table. "One breakfast sandwich and a latte for you." The teacher gave her a smile as she looked up from revising her notes in Social Studies. "Thank you for the food!"

Yukimi became confused for a second. "Uhm, Mahiru-sensei," she called. "Shouldn't they refuse to take my order? I mean, I'm not in college yet and it says in some magazines that this café has been turning down customers without any college ID."

Mahiru then had a smug grin on her face. "You know, Yukimi-chan," she stated, "I was once a student at the University of Tokyo. And faculty members of various schools can still take drinks for free here, I just have to present to them my old college ID and my faculty ID in Nekoma and they're off preparing my order for the both of us."

"Wah," Yukimi expressed. "That's wonderful, Mahiru-sensei!"

"I know, right?!" Mahiru agreed, taking a sip from her brewed coffee. "I admire you, Yukimi-chan." This made the said girl look at the older woman in question. "For such a young girl, you have already made a name for yourself in various schools and universities around Tokyo. Heck, I didn't even make myself this popular when I was in high school. I was off adoring the school's athletes when I was your age." Yukimi chuckled at this. "I'm so proud to have you under my wing for this year's lectures. I was there at the side with this big of a smile while you were acknowledged in the stage."

Yukimi blushed at the flurry of compliments. "T—Thank you, sensei," she replied, looking down on the notebook and the sandwich.

"You're just so cute, Yukimi-chan!"

From this, Yukimi felt her face redden even more.

To be honest, Yukimi never handled compliments that great. Yes, she maintained a sweet smile to everyone who praised her but inside, her mind's a mess especially if that person who complimented her was someone who was more skilled and talented than her. Her childhood friend would tease her every time she combusted because her face would go different shades of red when someone uttered her name with a positive adjective. Now, with Mahiru-sensei, her bubbly and vibrant science teacher, is another one of those moments. Unfortunately, Yukimi came home that day with a red face that sent Natsumi into a fit, thinking that her daughter became sick after being away from home for four days but the short-haired girl explained to her mother how she nearly blew a fuse for every compliment her teacher gave her.

This resulted in Yukimi blowing her said fuse when her mother embraced her and whispered sweet nothings in her ears.

( " _You are the sweetest and most adorable child a mother could ever ask for_." )

( " _Ah, my Yuki-chan is definitely the brightest student out there. I'm so proud of you, Dad is proud of you, too._ " )

Come Monday and the last day of April, Yukimi walked under the cherry blossom trees lining the entrance to Nekoma. Her day started out wonderfully, thanks to her amazing mother, who had her day-off from work and decided to prepare their breakfast and Yukimi's bento. Sipping on her daily dose of banana milk, the short-haired girl has a small smile on her face while remembering eating her favorite food earlier in the morning. There was something about omurice that sent Yukimi's mood into a brighter one. And for that, she requested her mother to put some in her bento as well.

"You really like banana milk, huh?"

Turning around, Kuroo's lips were stretched into a grin as he surveyed the shorter girl. Beside him was his childhood best friend, Kenma, who was shyly looking down on the ground at the sight of Yukimi.

"Good morning to you, too, Kuroo-san," she greeted, then turning to Kenma with a sweet smile. "Good morning, Kozume-san."

To say that the second-year setter was surprised that the enthusiastic girl the volleyball club has grown to like greeted him was an understatement. Upon looking up to meet her bright smile, Kenma immediately looked down with pink cheeks as he fumbled for the straps of his school bag. "Good morning, Kazahana-san," he reciprocated rather quietly. The greeting seemed to satisfy the short-haired girl as she hummed with a permanent smile plastered on her face.

The three then walked side-by-side with Yukimi in the middle of Kuroo and Kenma. She happily sipped on her banana milk as she marveled at the pink rain of petals showering on the pathway. It was a surprise to find the three walking together to school but they didn't mind at all. It would be the situation every morning since Yukimi agreed to be the volleyball club's manager and the club always held a morning practice every day.

"Glad to have you back, Kazahana," Kuroo absentmindedly voiced out, his hands behind his head as he looked up at the canopy of trees. The said girl looked up at him in confusion, the straw of her small milk bottle settled between her lips. "Seeing as you were gone for the rest of last week." He continued. "How were the lectures?"

Kenma looked at his friend as if the rooster-haired captain was a puzzle. This was a rare moment indeed and it somehow made the setter sigh in relief that there was someone that Kuroo would pester every morning other than him. He definitely needed the break from all his nagging to stop playing his video games late at night. He never needed another mother, thank you very much.

"They were amazing!" Yukimi replied in utmost cheer, making Kuroo smile a little while Kenma looked at her curiously, urging her to continue. "There was this forensic pathologist." ( " _Really_?!" ) Yukimi nodded frantically at Kuroo. "And a person working at NASA. All of the lectures were great in their own way but the sciences struck me more than the others. The university's Faculty of Medicine and Experimental Research also shared some topics. I wrote some notes down and it would be great to share it with someone!" At the mention of the faculty Yukimi relayed to them, Kuroo looked at her with an expectant grin. "And yes, Kuroo-san, I chose you to be that someone."

Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat.

"Oh, I also wrote some notes for you since you were absent and all," Kuroo fumbled for his words as he took out a binder refill from his bag.

"You really are the class genius, huh?" Yukimi noted while going over the notes and assignments Kuroo had written down for her. He managed to make everything simple for every topic she missed, even calculus, which she was greatly thankful for. There were even personal shortcuts noted in the margin of the pages. Looking back up at Kuroo, Yukimi felt herself grin. "Thank you for this, Kuroo-san. Ah, speaking of, I'm really sorry in advance!"

"What for, Kazahana-san?" Kenma asked from beside her.

"I don't know anything when it comes to volleyball so I probably will be the lousiest manager you will ever have," Yukimi told them with a nervous smile on her face. "I could recall some terms and rules but that's about it. Oh, and I'm not athletic so you will have a klutz for a manager."

Kuroo shook his head. "Well, some managers don't even need to be athletic to apply to some sports club, Kazahana. The most hectic thing you will ever do will be bringing our bibs, water bottles filled with energy drinks, and towels after every practice. But if you were ever that worried, Kenma and I will be guiding you through your journey. Right, Kenma?"

Kenma nodded beside her, making Kuroo grin. "You see, you're perfect to be our manager," he exclaimed. "You even got Kenma to warm up to you in no time at all!"

"Well," Yukimi chuckled nervously as she looked at Kenma who was fidgeting. "Kenma-san is already a friend the moment I lent him my charger." She smiled at the second-year. "The only thing I'm worried about is the rest of the members."

Kuroo cackled. "Oh, don't worry your pretty head about that," he immediately stopped. _Did he just call Yukimi pretty — unintentionally? What the hell is wrong with him? He has to watch what he's saying around this girl._ He can see Kenma over Yukimi's head trying to look natural, he narrowed his eyes at the setter because Kuroo's childhood friend was certainly trying not to show amusement. "Uhm — they already like you. They even bought you an assortment of chips and ice cream last week, or did you already forget, Kazahana?"

How could she forget that afternoon she agreed to be the volleyball club's manager? The moment she said yes, almost all of the members scrambled inside the convenience store to buy some things for her — welcoming her to their small yet compact family ( the words of Yaku ). Well, some are not so fast in buying, like Kai Nobuyuki, who calmly strode into the convenience store with a smile on his face. It was one happy afternoon for them, and when their time came to an end, they all bid their goodbyes to Yukimi ( with Taketora, who Yukimi figured to be the gangster looking kid her classmates told her, waving enthusiastically while Kuroo was scolding him from the back ) as she watched the rest of the volleyball team separate to board their specific stations. 

However, she made a hasty excuse to buy groceries when Kuroo and Kenma looked at her expectantly, knowing that the three of them usually take the same train ride home. Well, she was speaking the truth that time because the Kazahanas' fridge and pantry were nearly empty.

Yukimi smiled wistfully with her face trained to the front. "How could I forget?" she rhetorically asked. "I was carrying too many convenience store eco-bags while riding the train back home."

"You should've just come home with Kenma and me, we board the same station."

"I had to buy groceries, you know," she replied. "And besides I'm used to it."

"Well, you will be coming home with us these days," Kuroo told her, but became flustered when he saw Yukimi looking at him curiously while Kenma has his eyebrows raised. He quickly continued, "With you being our manager and all."

Yukimi laughed softly. "I'd be honored, only if Kozume-san doesn't mind, though," she told them, looking at Kenma with kind eyes.

Kenma felt his face burn. "No, I don't mind," he replied. "It doesn't bother me at all."

The three then reached the gates of Nekoma High and Yukimi could already feel the puzzling and curious eyes of their schoolmates. The school's sunshine girl never interacted with the duo before so it came off as a great surprise to see her wedged between the school's star athlete and silent and introverted setter of the team.

"This is why I hate people," Kenma muttered, eyes narrowing at the students gawking at them from behind his blonde-dyed hair.

"As if you're not used to this, Kenma," Kuroo snickered. "If you're with me, this always happens."

Kenma scrunched his face disapprovingly while Yukimi only looked at the tall boy blankly. "I'm sorry you have to go through this every day, Kozume-san," the girl deadpanned.

"Hey, I'm right here!"

Yukimi rose an eyebrow at him. "We know," she told him.

To say that Kenma was overjoyed when they reached the second-years' floor was an understatement for the timid setter instantly walked away from the pair of third-years without a glance goodbye. The two were left dumbfounded as Kenma barreled and bumped into Taketora who looked too angry so early in the morning. "Ah!" They heard Taketora shout, the boy now pointing at their direction. " _Kirei_ -senpai! Good morning!" The entire hallway looked at him weirdly and to the two third-years standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the higher years' floor. Taketora was busy fawning and blushing over Yukimi to ever realize the incredulous eyes trained on him. The short-haired girl gave him a smile and a little wave, sending Taketora in a frenzy.

Kuroo sighed heavily, putting his hand on the small of Yukimi's back, making her turn to the direction of the stairs. "Come on, Kazahana," he beckoned. "That runt is ruining mornings with his voice, I'll have to double his drills later at practice." He angrily muttered with furrowed brows as they trudged on the stairs.

Yukimi laughed. "You don't have to be that harsh on him," she reasoned out. "And for the record, he's not ruining my morning, that's for sure."

Kuroo rolled his eyes yet his lips couldn't help but lift up at the girl beside him. _Wait, she's standing too close at him_. While that thought lingered in his mind, he never lifted his hand which was still placed gently on Yukimi's back. Surprisingly enough, the girl didn't mind at all so he immediately looked away from her smiling face with a pink face. He hoped that the girl couldn't hear how fast she was making his heart race.

For the first time since he stepped foot on Nekoma High, Kuroo never minded the stares always planted whenever he walked by but at the moment, he wanted to crawl in a hole from the disbelieving gazes the third years cast their way. Some were even whispering and pointing at the two but Yukimi seemed to never notice. Kuroo looked at her from the corners of his eyes and her smile wasn't wiped off her face, which was a good sign but it irked him off to know that she could be masking her uneasiness from all the scrutiny they were receiving. As if on reflex, he slightly pulled Yukimi closer to him, making the girl look up at his with wide eyes but before their gazes met, he was already looking at the front with an indifferent face.

Upon reaching their classroom at the end of the hallway, Kuroo slid the door open and maintained his blank face while Yukimi was greeting their classmates with a bright smile. He caught one of their classmates, Machida Naoko was his name, looked between him and Yukimi and then resting his eyes on Kuroo's hand still on Yukimi's back. Seeing the boy's eyes narrow, Kuroo instantly placed his hand back to his side, passing by Yukimi to get to his seat.

"Good morning, Kazahana-san," Kagami Romio greeted.

Kuroo rolled his eyes and placed his chin on his hand, a bored look on his face. _This was going to be a long day_.


	5. MANAGERIAL ROLES AND SMILES.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might be updating this fic so regularly since i want it to be updated at the same time as my wattpad version skskwjwi happy reading, everyone!

The whole day passed by like a blur. There weren't many events that would be deemed important as the lessons flew by. People congratulated Yukimi in the intervals of her classes, whether it be in the hallways, in the vending machine of the third floor, or in the science laboratory. To be honest, they shouldn't be congratulating her, she wasn't in any contests in the past week, to begin with. But, no matter how many times Yukimi reminded them that there wasn't any competition, they would only just wave it off and tell her that she still represented the school and was acknowledged by the University of Tokyo. She would then reply with a shaky smile and a questioning thank you.

The same situation was still happening as the last teacher for the day announced dismissal when the school bell rang. People still congratulated her as she walked down the hallway to proceed to one of the school's gym to formally introduce herself as the volleyball club's manager, as what Kuroo told her. After replacing her indoor shoes with her outdoor ones, Yukimi headed off to the gym; Kuroo's notebook, and her indoor shoes in her hands.

Upon arriving in front of the metal doors of the gym, she could hear the squeaks of the volleyball shoe against the hardwood floor, the occasional shouts from the coaches, and the bouncing of the balls. Taking a deep breath as she switched into her indoor shoes again, she prepared herself as she opened the gym doors. There in the gym was the volleyball club looking at her with big smiles and an old and middle-aged man stationed at the benches, the former grinning at her while the latter was expectantly looking at her. Quickly realizing that her gawking might come off as rude, Yukimi hastily bowed, still at the entrance of the gym.

"Good afternoon, I'm the new manager Kuroo-san recommended. My name is Kazahana Yukimi," she announced, straightening up herself. "I'll do my best in my duties. Please take care of me!"

The old man stood up with his arms crossed, the grin on his face still intact. "She's here!" he bellowed with a laugh. "Welcome to the volleyball club, young lady. Please take care of us as well. I'm Nekomata Yasufumi," he introduced, turning around to the other man. "It's a good school year to have someone to reign these rowdy boys, huh, Naoi?"

The middle-aged man still seated nodded, now with a kind smile on his face. "You're right, Nekomata-san," he chuckled. He then turned his attention to Yukimi who was sporting a determined look on her face. "Welcome, Kazahana-san, my name is Naoi Manabu," he told her. "I hope you won't bail on us at the last minute when these boys get out of hand, okay?"

Yukimi nodded. "You can count on me, Coach Nekomata, Coach Naoi," she replied, giving a little bow again.

"You should introduce yourself to the boys," Nekomata told her, nodding towards the volleyball team who was looking at the three of them.

"I have already acquainted myself with them, Nekomata-san," she answered. "I met them last week when I agreed to be the club's manager."

Nekomata laughed heartily. "That's great then! Boys, why don't you formally meet your new manager," he instructed the teenage boys with a close-eyed smile.

Kuroo, who was grinning widely, chuckled and beckoned the other members to take a step forward. He told them to stand in a straight line and quickly made a countdown. "Please take care of us!" Their voices reverberated through the gym, making Yukimi flinch a little but quickly regained herself as she let out a chuckle, smiling at the volleyball team in front of her. Kuroo rose both of his eyebrows when he caught her gaze, then giving her a discreet wink afterward.

The boys' reactions were all different. The first-years, namely So Inuoka, Tamahiko Teshiro, and Yuki Shibayama all gaped at Yukimi, never believing that they get to see the pretty girl grace the gym every morning and afternoon. The second-years, however, contrasted with each other; with Yamamoto Taketora causing a scene, shouting " _We got a pretty and foxy manager!_ " in a loop with the accompaniment of heart-eyes while Kozume Kenma nodded with an indifferent face, and Fukunaga Shohei silently looking at the new manager with a tilted head. The third-years all had smiles on their faces, with Yaku the biggest, his expression rivaling Taketora as he visibly admired the smile painted on Yukimi's face.

When Yukimi was called on by the two coaches, the volleyball team formed a huddle, all facing each other with a determined expression ( except for Kenma and Fukunaga ). They all have one thing in mind and they needed to voice it out to one another as a declaration. That is —

"We have to protect _kirei_ -senpai from the wolves among the school!" Taketora announced. "We all know her to be the darling of the campus so it's our job, as her beloved volleyball club members, to ward off any unnecessary leeches clinging and confessing to her every other day."

"I agree!" Yaku nodded. "But that's going too far with preventing boys to confess to her. I empathize with them if they don't get to be graced with her presence." The libero then looked at the direction of Yukimi, who was nodding at what Nekomata is saying. Yaku then smiled dreamily. "Look at her, she's such a beauty and she's so cool there, learning the ways of being with us."

"I agree, Yaku-senpai!" Inuoka shouted gleefully. "We never had a female manager when I was in middle school so this is refreshing. And Kazahana-san's pretty, too!"

"So, everyone," Taketora once again intervened. "As one of the many volleyball club's pacts, we swear to always look out for our precious manager!"

"Osu!" The rest of the club, except for Kuroo ( who was chuckling away ), Kenma ( sighing at the predicament that is the volleyball club ), and Fukunaga ( who only had his fist raised, still a blank expression on his face ).

On the other hand, Yukimi was standing in front of the two coaches of the club, attentively listening to them speak about the various positions the members have. Apparently, Kuroo is one of the middle blockers alongside Inuoka, the first year with the spiky hair and sparkly eyes. Kenma and Teshiro are the setters, with the latter being a reserve player. Shibayama and Yaku being the liberos, with Nekomata commenting that Yaku is one of the most talented liberos out there with a proud smile that Yukimi couldn't help but smile back. The rest of the team, Kai, Fukunaga, and Yamamoto, are the wing spikers. Yukimi only understood what the positions are because her mother sometimes watched the reruns of the games of the national team on TV and she sometimes went to her childhood friend's games when they were younger.

She noted to learn the various terms later at night, just to refresh her memory. It's been a while since she acquainted herself with volleyball terms.

Next, Nekomata told her about her responsibilities and duties as a club manager. As far as she knew, Kuroo told her earlier that day that she had to prepare their energy drinks and food, give some towels every after practice, and distributing out the bibs when there's a practice match. But the coach also informed her of her job on keeping tabs on the players' weaknesses and strengths and how to help them improve on their spikes, serves, sets, and receives. He also suggested to always keep a notebook to take down any information on how she perceived the various forms and techniques of the players, to which she could do perfectly, seeing as she always had a knack for taking down notes.

"I also suggest you be always aware of your surroundings, Kazahana-san," Nekomata told her, making her furrow her brows in confusion. "Except for the fact that you need that awareness to tally the number of successful and failed serves and spikes of the members — that could happen as well."

The old coach then pointed at the boys having their practice game, with the team divided into two teams. She witnessed Fukunaga spike the ball tossed by Kenma, with Kuroo blocking it from the opposite side of the net. The ball ricocheted and was received by Shibayama, who apparently received the ball poorly, making it fly towards the side with a thunderous bang. Yukimi felt herself nervously gulp. She shifted her attention to Nekomata, who was snickering at the fearful expression of the new manager.

"Don't let that get to you, Kazahana-san!" he cheered, patting her gently on the back. "Now, Naoi, about that proposition that the faculty room received earlier in the morning."

Naoi, the younger coach, jumped and turned at Nekomata. "Oh, our old rivals called and requested a practice match," he informed, the older man nodding with a nostalgic yet mischievous glint in his eyes. "They want to have a practice match with our team."

Nekomata continued nodding. "Ah, ' _The fallen crows_ ', huh?" He then laughed. "A great timing for us for having a manager then! Do you know Karasuno, Kazahana-san?"

Karasuno. The fallen powerhouse. The home of the crows. At least that's what her childhood friend told her, and the school that he vowed to enter once they graduate middle school. And from the messages she received from her friend, Yukimi was proud that he was accepted easily to this dream school of his. "It's the school my childhood friend chose to enter," Yukimi answered with a smile. "They're the powerhouse school of the Miyagi prefecture a few years back, that's the reason why my friend joined their volleyball team. They had one of the best wing spikers in that year, too, ' _The Little Giant_ ', he's called."

The older coach nodded in response. Naoi decided to observe the plays of the volleyball team, leaving behind the two to continue with their conversation. "Indeed, you're correct, Kazahana-san," he agreed. "They're the cats' untimely rivals. While we lost our claim on the land, they lost their ability to fly. In other terms, we're the loser rivals." He then laughed, making Yukimi remember how her friend relayed to her how hopeless Karasuno's team when he entered. She only hoped that's not the case now. "Their previous coach and I were rivals back in the days, and we decided to make our teams face against each other, too, and not just on any court, we want them to face each other on a national scale. But, we can only cling to practice matches as of now."

As Nekomata talked to her, her gaze kept flitting towards the direction of the volleyball team. From what she observed while they were playing, all of them are talented volleyball players, but their teamwork caught her eye. They were all in sync with each other. She watched as the ball made an arc from Yaku's receive, traveling perfectly to where Teshiro is situated in the court, while Yamamoto and Kuroo jumped at the same time. Her eyes widened when Kuroo gave her a glance after spiking the ball over the net. Left mesmerized at the way Kuroo did the spike, the two never looked away, with Kuroo panting while his teammates cheered at the background.

"Say, Kazahana-san," Nekomata called for her, making her break the eye contact with Kuroo. "Do you want to come with us to Miyagi? We planned a lot of practice matches when Golden Week comes and as the manager, we want you to be present there. Naoi will give you the permission slip later after the practice and you should let your parents sign it. But if they won't let you," he grinned mischievously, "those boys on the court will do anything, even barge into your home, and beg on their knees to your parents to let you come."

Yukimi laughed out loud, making the volleyball team look at their direction while they were advised to take a break. Just the image of the volleyball team doing consecutive bows to her mother made her shake her head in disbelief. "Don't worry, coach," she told him. "My Mom will definitely let me come. This is an opportunity to make friends after all."

Nekomata once again nodded with a smile. "That's our reliable manager!" he told her. "We're leaving on the third day of May, on Thursday, early in the morning so better be prepared! Now, why don't you come with me and watch the boys play, okay?"

The short-haired girl followed after the older coach and settled beside him on the bench. The ball was in possession of Kenma's team, with Kai serving. The ball was then received by Yaku, who visibly showed his annoyance at the shabbiness of his receive, giving the other team a chance ball. He yelled an apology to the others which was retaliated by Kuroo ( ' _Don't mind, don't mind!_ " ) as the ball was received by Shibayama, giving it to Kai who passed it to Kenma. Yukimi noted how the second-year seemed to stay at one place since the start of the game so she turned to Nekomata in an inquiry.

"Does Kenma play like that often?" she asked, somewhat embarrassed for not watching the volleyball club. It just so happened that whenever the school's team had a game, she was always picked to be a part of a contest.

"Ah," Nekomata grinned. "Despite the fact that he isn't the fittest member of the team, his way of analyzing the opponents make up for it. We're not called the ' _The Cats_ ' for nothing and it's all thanks to him for making everything flow like it is fluid."

Amazed, she turned back to the court with widened eyes. Their rallies, their set-ups, their blocks, their spikes, they were all so entrancing. They seem solid whenever a ball comes their way and they perfectly executed their plays while still displaying flaws like jumping a second too late when blocking a spike or setting too high or too low for a teammate. One thing's for sure, her joining the Nekoma volleyball team is something she will never regret at the moment and in the future. Because at that moment, playing volleyball makes them _alive_ and there's something optimistic about watching someone so passionate in a club.

Naoi announced that their practice was enough for the day and that they should start on their cool-down exercises. The coach looked at her and smiled. "You should start distributing their water bottles and towels, Kazahana-san," he told her, making the girl nod and stand up.

Yukimi then patted her skirt and went to where the towels and water bottle carry tray are situated. Carefully carrying the water bottle tray on one hand and the towels under her other one, she placed the tray on the ground next to the bench she was sitting on. Approaching the first-years first, she gave them each a water bottle and a towel.

"You played wonderfully," she told them as they received the water bottles after wiping their faces with the towel. "Though some of your receives are slightly off and your blocks are just a little late, you can still work on them before the practice matches on Golden Week. Try to focus on reading the set-ups of the other team and ask your seniors to spike balls to you as your practice in receiving. Always be aware, okay?" That should do it, right? She just gave them advice just like what Coach Nekomata told her to do.

At this, the three first-years brightened. "Thank you, _kirei-_ senpai!" They shouted, making Yukimi blush at the nickname. Shaking her head, she then headed to where the rest of the team is.

"Thank you, Kazahana-san," Kai told her with a smile.

"Aah, this is such a beautiful image!" Taketora exclaimed. "Thank you, _kirei_ -senpai!"

"Here you go, Kozume-san," she said, handing Kenma water bottle and towel. The setter shyly took the two from her hands, thanking her quietly from under his breath.

"Kazahana-chan, I think I got rejuvenated just from looking at your beautiful face!" Yaku praised, making her laugh.

Fukunaga only nodded at her in gratitude when she turned to him. Smiling in return, she then looked up at Kuroo who was expectantly waiting for his turn to be given a towel and an energy drink. "Here, Kuroo-san," she said, a small smile on her lips.

Since they finished their practice match, Kuroo stared at her while she was distributing the energy drinks and towels to everyone else. Last night, the volleyball captain did a good job of procrastination after coming home from the college prep classes he took when there's no after-school practice. The ceiling made him succumb to a night of solitude with the accompaniment of the rustling branches from outside his room and the crickets chirping through the night. While looking at the pristine white wood above him, Kuroo was informed that they would have a practice match among the team the following day, and the same day Yukimi would introduce herself to the coach that she was handpicked by Kuroo to be their manager. He promised himself that he would brandish his skills to her and he had to give it his all.

Well, who wouldn't show off when the person you like watched you play?

Apparently, Kuroo didn't show off. Those ever observing brown eyes made him self-conscious for an unknown reason. There were instances when he just wanted to scare the other team with his blocks but he quickly caught himself because as what Taketora told him, his face looked scary when he does that. For the rest of the practice game, he never shouted too much and his plays were always measured and not spontaneous. This left his teammates to look at him weirdly since they were used to their captain being brazen about playing, shouting here, cackling there, and taunting the opposing team a mocking visage — he is known to be Bokuto Koutarou's best friend after all and the 'provocation expert'.

"How was your first day being our manager?" Kuroo asked her while wiping his face with the towel. "I hope it's interesting enough for you to stay."

Yukimi looked at him after a minute of shifting her attention to the volleyball team. "Well, to be honest?" she asked him, making him nod. "I'm glad I joined as your manager. Just seeing you guys play there in that court, looking so carefree but so calculated, it made me think that by playing volleyball, you all look so alive. It's like you breathe volleyball, and it's nice to witness how much you focus and engross yourself into this sport and it made me want to be passionate about something, too."

Molten gold met with caramel brown as Kuroo was once again in awe of her. As they continued staring at each other, he could never fathom rejecting such an idyllic girl. He never understood Romio's reason for neglecting the feelings Yukimi bared to him. For what? For thinking that he wasn't good enough for her? For thinking that this phenomenal person deserves someone better? For thinking that he managed to acquire commitment issues? Heck, Kuroo felt all those when it comes to the brilliant Kazahana Yukimi. One thing could be established — Romio is one lucky guy and he was stuck here thinking how unlucky he was as he watched her look at that boy the same way he always looked at her.

If unrequited love was a disease, Kuroo would be vomiting bouquets of lavenders and sunflowers at the bottom of his feet because as the minutes ticked by, he delved deeper into his mind, thinking that why wasn't it him she fell in love with, in the first place?

Shaking his head lightly. "That's great to hear, Kazahana," he replied, staring at the front as he took a sip from his water bottle. "It's good to know we make you feel that way." He directed his gaze at her. "Are you alright, now? Uhm, I'm sorry I'm asking this out of the blue, but are — uhm — okay this week?"

"What do you mean, Kuroo-san?" she asked, bringing her eyes on him again. "I'm perfectly fine, as you noticed."

Kuroo shook his head. "Do you feel anything just like what happened on your birthday?" He could see Yukimi's eyes widened in surprise, making him awkwardly clear his throat. "I'm sorry if you're not comfortable with this—"

"Kuroo-san," she interrupted his rambling. "It's thanks to this club that I don't feel that way this week. So I owe you a lot, Kuroo-san."

Yukimi then flashed him a smile — the smile that captivated him when they were first-years. Who would've thought that he managed to lessen the distance between the two of them? That he was the one who made her smile like that.

As the short girl thoughtfully looked down and made her way to the others, collecting the used towels and water bottles, Kuroo felt his chest constrict.

It's always that damn smile.


	6. THE CATS ARE HOME.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // panic attacks.

It was nearing midnight and a girl of eternal sunshine and beautiful winter was wide awake while the entire world slept on. On her rumpled covers were blots of tears beside clenched fists. Her chest was constricted, her breaths coming out of ragged pants. Never wanting her mother to be awake, she tried decreasing the noise of her sobs.

It was one of those days where her entire being was drowning in an abysmal melancholy that she had no choice but to be submerged further down into her chaotic mindset. With all her efforts, she tried freeing herself from the shackles and chains that made her sink down like peridotite but the more time she remained underwater, the more time her thoughts plague her unconscious. It was always like this every other day and yet she never knew how it triggered itself. Her day had been alright, nothing had set her off and throughout the entire afternoon, she had been bottling up her tears and sobs. It was such a relief to know that there wasn't any afternoon practice for the volleyball club so she immediately dashed to the train station, feeling so caved in.

It was exhausting.

All of it is exhausting — her trying her best and yet all of it was never enough in the eyes of others, her fitting herself in different circles until she couldn't distinguish who she was anymore, her shouldering the amount of workload their teacher placed on their already towering pile, and her never knowing where she will place herself in a few years. It felt like a ticking bomb in her chest, ready to explode with all of the raging emotions she kept to herself — the misery, envy, loathing, and condemning. She wanted to seclude herself or let herself be surrounded with nothing but miles and miles of emptiness and just yell her heart out, to unload everything and unleash herself from her makeshift birdcage.

Her breathing exercises never work.

They had never worked since day one.

Her own safe space, she tried envisioning it. But the more she strained and drilled her mind into picturing it, she always ended up painting something blank in her head right when she needed it the most. She desperately fought hard against the restraints holding her down, only to find nothing of the tendrils of lavender and coffee and the worn-out books and the night sky that she always found comforting. She wanted herself to laugh freely, to be happier tomorrow, and to assure herself that there are better days ahead. But how could she experience that when she always blamed herself, when she never even loved herself?

The tears never stop flowing, likened to the raining petals on a spring day or the harsh patter of raindrops during a thunderstorm. They never stop flowing as the clock's hands overlap.

The world stayed still to welcome another day.

It was finally midnight.

* * *

Looking out from the window of the bus leading her to the station the volleyball club agreed to meet upon, Yukimi blew out a breath from beneath the collar of her scarlet jacket. The short-haired girl has always possessed a penchant for midnights for it brings a promise of a new day but there was always something about the first crack of dawn that deeply moved her. Believed to be inclined to the vastness of the bleak dark sky, Yukimi was still left speechless every time the sun would cast its luminous arches of light, painting the sky a profusion of bright tangerines and mellow carnations pinks. How could she even forget the plushness of the cotton candy clouds casting over the city while the sun peeked its first 'hello'? With her small travel bag on the empty seat beside her, Yukimi squinted as the dawn reflected itself on the many glass panes of the towering buildings of the city.

Noticing the buildings thinning as the bus moved along the highway, Yukimi carefully stood up from her seat to push the stop button. Feeling the vehicle's engine stop, the short girl thanked the driver and went down the steps and to the gravel of the wide pathway leading to the brick-red building of Tokyo Station. Placing her bag higher on her shoulder, Yukimi trekked the crosswalk and entered the huge building.

It wasn't a great surprise when she witnessed that the station was already brimming with tourists and commuters so early in the morning. But the fact that the throng of people never thinned made Yukimi stand on the tips of her toes to catch a glimpse of the scarlet tracksuits of the Nekoma volleyball team. As she was huffing under her breath and silently cursing her short stature, Yukimi felt a hand on top of her head. Feeling a chill drop on her body, she turned to tell the person behind her to stop touching her head when she was met with the grin of Kuroo.

With half-lidded eyes and messy hair, the volleyball captain was a sight for sore eyes, the proof being the whispering girls their age pointing at him with blushes on their faces. Despite the fact that the tracksuits that they don are a bright red for such an early hour, he managed to make it look decent enough that Yukimi nearly complimented him for it.

"Good morning, Kazahana," he greeted. "Well, look at you, never knew that our club's tracksuit fit you well. You're now officially our manager!"

Yukimi laughed while shaking her head. "Good morning to you, too, Kuroo-san," she replied, then turning to the shorter boy behind Kuroo, who was looking on the ground, the hood of his jacket obscuring his chin. "Good morning, Kenma-san."

Kenma subtly perked up when Yukimi called him by his given name but schooled his expression into a blank one as his gold eyes remained unblinkingly on the floor. "Good morning, Yukimi-san," he replied quietly, his eyes darting from side-to-side. The setter was beyond nervous to let Kuroo hear him and Yukimi calling each other by their first names, seeing as their captain harbored romantic feelings for the girl for nearly three years. Actually, it was him who suggested to let the third-year manager call him by his name, thinking that ' _Kozume_ ' is too formal. The truth is, he thought the girl was looking rather sad yesterday so he immediately stood by her side to tell her that Kenma is fine by him.

He couldn't forget the glassy eyes that looked at him yesterday afternoon.

"Wha—What?" Kuroo exclaimed, looking back and forth between his two friends. This is what Kenma has been trying to avoid. "You're on a first-name basis now and you never told me?"

"I call Taketora-san by his first name, too."

"Ahck," Kuroo choked. "That runt, too? Kazahana, why don't you call me Tetsurou, huh? That way everyone's happy."

"More like you're happy."

"Shut it, Kenma."

The short-haired girl let out a laugh as he clapped softly to catch their attention. "Come on, let's buy our tickets," she told them and gently pulled on the sleeves of their jackets, directing them to a nearby ticket machine. "Oh, and by the way, Kuroo-san, I'd like to keep calling you by your last name. It suits you more." She grinned at him, which left him astounded in the middle of the platform, making Kenma annoyed at the delay.

"Alright," Kuroo stuttered. "Just drop the honorific, it makes me sound like an old man."

"Then call me whatever you'd like, it doesn't matter to me."

"Okay," he mumbled, staring straight in her eyes. "Hana it is, then."

Yukimi slowly widened her eyes with her lips slightly parted in shock as she felt her heart skip a beat at Kuroo's declaration.

Turning her attention to the ticket machine in front of her while squirming at the taller boy's gaze, Yukimi chose to focus her attention on the words written on the machine's screen. The glint in Kuroo's eyes at the moment is something that puzzled her for she was always subjected to his stares since they were first-years. He could be thinking that she never looked his way while he was casting his golden eyes on her but there are moments where both of them would be caught in a tangle of gazes because she chose to look at him as well.

While the two boys waited at the side as she purchased the volleyball club's tickets, Yukimi calmly reminded herself that she shouldn't be affected by Kuroo. Finally availing all the tickets, she roamed her eyes around the station, spotting the rest of the volleyball team all clad in the vibrant red tracksuit, which apparently caught the attention of some of the people in the building. How could she not miss the rest of the club when Taketora was waving enthusiastically at her from across the platform ( with Yaku joining him but in a more reserved manner since they were in a public place )? Kenma, who also took notice of the coaches and club members heading their way, stood beside their smiling manager.

"They're so loud," Kenma murmured, making Yukimi laugh softly.

"I guess it's a normal morning, then," she simpered, eyes fondly following the club members.

"Took you long enough," Kuroo shouted once the group reached them. He quickly bowed when Nekomata and Naoi stood in front of him. "Good morning, Coach Nekomata, Coach Naoi. Our reliable manager just purchased our tickets so," he fixed his attention to his teammates, "please don't cause a ruckus while she's distributing them. _Don't_ taint our school's name."

"Osu!"

With their tickets clutched in their hands, the volleyball team started making their way towards the Tohoku Shinkansen for boarding. While the rest of the team looked calm and collected, Taketora looked around the sleek architectural design of the station, commenting his observations on the inside contrasting the building's bricked façade. He shouted in awe, "This is my first time on the Shinkansen!"

Yukimi chuckled at the second year's expression mimicking that of a puppy as he looked around the station. Right when she was about to tell Taketora to keep his voice down, Yaku intervened with an incredulous tone, "Seriously? You sure you're not a country bumpkin, Taketora? We're not even in the countryside yet."

Taketora gaped at the rest of his team. "Y—You've all ridden it before?" He sounded so betrayed that he turned to the only person who could save him at the moment. " _Kirei-_ senpai, you've ridden it, too?"

"Unfortunately, yes, Taketora-san," she told him with an apologetic smile.

"I think it's rather normal to ride the Shinkansen, Taketora," Kai told him. This was followed by a chorus of answers saying that they have ridden it once or twice in their life, making Taketora on the verge of sulking.

Yaku placed a hand under his chin. "Still, I've never been to Miyagi before," he stated. "I wonder where Karasuno is. I only know about Sendai." As if lightning struck the libero, he turned to Yukimi who was walking beside Kuroo with a small smile. "Hey, Yuki-chan," he called her by her nickname ( which also started yesterday when he heard Kenma, Taketora, and Yukimi calling each other by their first names ), "you're from Miyagi, right?" Yukimi gave him a nod. "What's Karasuno like?"

"I've never been there as well," she answered. "I came from Izumitate which is just a town away from Karasuno. Though from what my friend told me, Karasuno's just like any regular town, the only thing is that it's located deep in the countryside. You'll do fine there, think of it as a getaway from the city once in a while."

"Oi," Kuroo called out, narrowing his eyes at Taketora and the first-years for continuing their excited chatters about the practice games. "Settle down and keep walking. We ain't in school, you know? Seriously, these guys." He then looked down on the girl beside him, nodding to her bag as he spoke. "Let me carry that for you."

Yukimi hummed. "It's alright, it's not that heavy anyway," she answered with a smile. "I pack lightly every time there's a trip, Kuroo."

"Still," he huffed, reaching over her shoulder to take the strap and placing it on top of his vacant shoulder. "We don't want our manager to exert too much effort, am I right?" He gave her a grin which Yukimi couldn't help but reciprocate. "Oh, and sit with me and Kenma."

And she did just that as the city-scape transitioned into lush pastures.

* * *

There's nothing more beautiful than inhaling the countryside air of Miyagi. As much as Yukimi loved Tokyo for being her second home, Miyagi's pollution-free air will always calm her nerves. As the Nekoma volleyball group walked on the streets of Karasuno, Yukimi was perfectly fine of being behind the rest of the team, matching the pace of the two coaches. From the harsh heat, the short girl decided to take off her jacket and tie half of her hair up, some strands falling over her forehead.

She couldn't help but reminisce some of her time in Miyagi.

Growing up in an art-inclined household, her life was always surrounded by framed paintings and vibrant colors, with her father being a major in art restoration. Her mother, however, took it upon herself to teach Yukimi the way around numbers with her being a mathematics major when she was in university. With both parents helping her through her academics, Yukimi grew up to be a timid girl, never going out unless it would be deemed necessary. The only time she ever stepped foot outside of their house would be to visit her father in Sendai's Miyagi Museum of Art. So it was a great surprise to her parents when she was seen laughing with one of the neighborhood children. Their precious little girl who probably never smiled around strangers was smiling so widely at a little boy clutching a volleyball.

It was then and there that Yukimi found her childhood best friend.

Sawamura Daichi.

The one who was responsible for letting her break from her shell step-by-step. The one who was responsible for making her the bubbly person she is at the moment. The one responsible for making her feel special and loved when the whole world turned away from her for being too shy and timid. The one responsible for bringing her strength back when her father got into an accident and never came back. Daichi was the shoulder she always cried on when a guy she likes turned her down and he was always her rock throughout middle school. Despite knowing that his schedule was hectic with his practices in his volleyball club, the strong-headed boy will always show up just in time for her quiz bees and singing recitals. And despite knowing that she was also busy in her own way, she will always give her moral support to him in his volleyball matches, even making some banners to catch his attention and to boost his self-esteem.

And when Yukimi's mother announced that they have to move to Tokyo, to the house that she inherited from Yukimi's grandparents, she realized she had to tell Daichi. At that time, Izumitate Junior High was eliminated from the Junior High Volleyball Tournament and Yukimi nearly took a step back from telling her friend that she will miles away from him in the future.

It was the first time she had seen Daichi cry.

Yukimi nearly begged her mother to stay in Miyagi but Natsumi already made up her mind, the company's she's applying in Miyagi recommended her to another branch in Tokyo, thus, the reason for their move. And with that, Yukimi spiraled into a well of loneliness that nearly swallowed her whole but Daichi's words kept her going.

" _Show them the beautiful smile you've always had, Yuki-chan, and face your problems head-on. And if you ever feel sad, remember, we will always meet again in the future._ "

And just days away, they will be.

"Huh, where's Kenma?" Taketora asked with furrowed eyebrows. This caused Yukimi to perk up and to also look around the surroundings as the volleyball team shouted Kenma's name. There were alleyways everywhere, and Yukimi chose to believe that Kenma couldn't have gotten far. "I swear, if he's lost right before our practice match, I'm gonna teach that little guy a lesson," Taketora grumbled under his breath.

Yukimi sighed. "I'm going to find him, coach," she said to Nekomata, who nodded his approval. She then turned to the others. "You guys go on ahead to Tsukinokizawa High School, I'll bring our runaway setter in no time. Is it okay to leave my things, Yaku?" She received a frantic nod as the libero took hold of her bag and jacket.

"I'll go with you," Kuroo called out from in front of the group, giving his things as well to Kai. "We don't want two members of the club to be lost in one day now." He grinned, looking expectantly at the two coaches. Nekomata only smiled right away while Naoi reminded him to never be late because time is of the essence and that it would be a bad first impression to show up late for the practice match. "Alright, come on, Hana, let's go find Kenma."

"Be careful, _kirei-_ senpai!" Taketora shouted, sputtering right after when Yaku slapped him on the back of his head for being too loud.

Yukimi only waved at them and the two third-years then walked into the opposite direction. As the two fell into a walk to find to their setter, Yukimi relished the silence and tried shrouding herself to the chirping of the birds and the cicadas while they walked.

After her breakdown a few nights before, Yukimi was seen to be sluggishly moving the day before their trip to Miyagi. Her mother expressed her concern as she took note of the sunken and swollen eyes Yukimi donned after waking up. Deciding it best to drop the subject, Natsumi only cooked her daughter's breakfast in an attempt to cheer her up but to no avail as Yukimi left behind the banana milk she always sipped on every morning. It was the first time Yukimi felt so tired at the thought of school and everybody noticed how their sunshine classmate had a frown on her face. Volleyball practice didn't help in lifting up her mood as she bit her lip to prevent the tears from falling down, keeping her voice calm as she instructed everyone to start their serving drills. But as Kenma placed himself beside her and asked if she was okay, she felt the tears build up.

The poor second-year didn't know what to do but tell her to start calling him by his first name and that they were friends so she can tell them what she feels. And before she knew it, Taketora also shouted gleefully from across the gymnasium to call him by his first name as well.

"Hey."

Yukimi snapped out of her trance as she looked up at the concerned eyes of Kuroo. She didn't even notice that he took off his jacket as she scanned him in a black shirt that fit him really well. Again, she nearly complimented him that he cleaned up nice but quickly swallowed the words down her throat. Knowing Kuroo, he'd probably let this get into his head.

"You've been spacing out," he told her in a quiet voice, his words glazed with a hint of care. "Even yesterday and on the train ride, you look so tired. What happened?"

She looked away and fiddled with her fingers. "I just feel down, that's all," she answered in nonchalance. "Thank you for your concern, Kuroo."

"I'll always be concerned for you," he replied, eyes widening at the declaration. "Uhm — since you're an important asset of the team."

Kuroo kept quiet for a moment, staring ahead as they continued their walk. He desperately wanted to approach her yesterday when she arrived in the classroom with red-rimmed eyes that looked so dull that Kuroo questioned if that was really the Yukimi he had known all those years. He was ready for her to break in the classroom and to excuse the two of them and find a safe space for her to tell him what happened but Yukimi only looked down on her desk. Come the volleyball practice and Kuroo didn't have the opportunity to talk to her because Coach Naoi told them to perfect their serves before the practice matches the next day. He was extremely grateful for Kenma for being there for her. He could see her unshed tears from the other side of the gym.

"You know, you're special to us," Kuroo's voice broke the silence. "And if you ever feel that you're not enough, we're here to remind you that you are more than what you believed yourself to be. Heck, Kenma talked to you and you know that that guy never talks to girls unless it's necessary." He saw Yukimi's lips twitch in a small smile, making him grin. He contemplated saying the next words but he huffed and decided to tell her, "And you're more beautiful when you smile so keep doing that."

Once again, Yukimi felt her heart skip a beat as Kuroo looked away, hiding his face from her shocked eyes.

It wasn't the first time Kuroo complimented her and it wasn't the first time she was always left speechless because of it, but the question that's bugging her was ' _Why_?'. Feeling her face burn, she lifted her eyes to the front, only to see a familiar figure hunched beside a fence with a ginger-haired boy standing not too far away from him.

"I think our setter made a friend."

* * *

Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier, Kenma looked around only to find himself with unfamiliar surroundings. This wasn't Tokyo and yet why did he follow that cat? He knew this would happen but the stretching feline beckoned him to follow it through alleyways until he reached a winding-down path.

Looking down at the cat with narrowed eyes, he muttered, "This is all your fault." Fishing out the phone from the pocket of his bag, Kenma sat down on the empty space by a metal fence. "This is so troublesome." He scrolled through his contacts to try to send a message but he couldn't find Yukimi's name. Well, he never asked her for her number and it was such a mistake not to since she's the only person he relied on to find him.

"What're you doing?" A voice called out, making him jump and nearly dropping his phone.

Kenma turned around and was met with an orange-haired boy around his age bouncing his way towards him. _He seems friendly enough_ , he thought as the boy stopped in front of him. He looked down, embarrassed at his situation, and mumbled, "Erm, I got lost?" He exited the contacts lists and opened a game to pass the time, he didn't even have the drive to contact Kuroo and the rest of the team.

"Eh?" the orange-haired boy asked. "You came here from a different part of Japan?" He tilted his head as punctuation to his curious question because the bright color of the other boy's tracksuit couldn't be from around their region.

Kenma straightened in his seat as he answered with a quiet 'yeah', shrouding the two boys in a blanket of silence. He kept on playing on his phone when the boy crouched beside him to look at the game he was playing.

"Is that thing fun?" the energetic boy asked, gesturing to his game.

He looked back-and-forth between his phone and to the eager brown eyes of the ginger. "Ah, this?" he said. "Not really. It's just a way to kill time before our manager finds me." To be honest, he never contacted anyone and he just assumed Yukimi would find him. There were a few seconds of silence until the ginger beside him erupted in a shout of excitement, pointing at his opened bag. Why did he forget to close it?

"You play volleyball?!" the boy exclaimed with a shine in his eyes, making Kenma look up at him in surprise. "Those shoes, they're for volleyball, aren't they?!" Kenma could only get out a nod before the boy continued. "I'm in a volleyball club, too! I'm Hinata Shoyo."

Kenma looked at him for a few seconds before contemplating giving him his name. After a few minutes, he muttered, "Kozume."

"Kozume?" Hinata asked, leaning forward in curiosity. "Is that your name?"

"Kozume," Kenma repeated, his eyes trained on the ground. "Kenma."

Hinata brightened. "So your name's Kenma! Are you in high school?" Getting a small 'yeah' for a reply, Hinata continued. "What year?! I'm a first-year!"

"Second."

"Crap!" Hinata cursed. Daichi would flay him if he ever showed disrespect to a senior. Realizing his mistake, he froze. "You're an upperclassman. I'm sorry!"

This surprised Kenma, again. "Don't worry," he reassured. "I don't like stuff like that, that sort of sports hierarchy."

Hinata scratched his head. "Ah, is that so?" Feeling the silence start again, the orange-haired boy pursed his lips. "Uhm, do you like volleyball?"

"Not particularly," Kenma replied, still fiddling with his phone. "I don't dislike it but I kind of just do it. I don't like getting worn out or any of that. But my friends play and they probably have a hard time playing without me."

The orange-haired boy hummed in response, leaning his back on the fence beside Kenma. "I think you'd have more fun if you came to like it, though."

"It's fine," he sighed. "It's only for the duration of high school anyway."

Hinata nodded, fixing his gaze at Kenma's dyed hair. "What position do you play?"

Kenma hummed. "Setter."

Hinata perked up. "Really?!" he exclaimed. "You're a little different from our setter. Our setter is a little more," he then mimicked a motion that a monster could do, "intense! He gives off a 'grrrr' feeling!" He straightened himself and now imitated someone blocking. "By the way, I'm a middle blocker!"

Kenma's eyes slowly widened. This short boy is a middle blocker? Now that's something you don't see every day.

"It's a little weird, don't you think?" Hinata asked him with a sheepish expression. "Middle blocker is a position suited for tall guys, after all."

The setter could only gape at the orange-haired boy. "I guess," he answered. "But I don't think like that at all. When I go to matches, they say that a lot about me, too." He looked down again on his phone. "They say: 'the setter is a position for people with the highest level of agility, so why is this guy in that spot?' And stuff like that. Sports aren't exactly my forte, either."

Hinata looked at him with wide eyes. "Is your school strong?" he asked.

"I wonder," he uttered. "Apparently, I heard our school was strong in the past but we went into decline at one point. Recently, though, I think we're strong." His golden eyes then bore into Hinata, shocking the orange-haired boy.

Hinata furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey," he muttered. "Which school do you—"

"Kenma-san!"

"Kenma!"

A melodious and a booming voice echoed through the empty street. Hinata looked over to the direction of the voices and was met with two people looking at Kenma. The orange-haired boy felt his jaw drop at the sight of the girl. With her short hair, long eyelashes, and dainty lips, the girl could be the manager Kenma mentioned earlier. The girl is a beauty like Karasuno's own manager. Her brown eyes then shifted to him which made him blush as she blinked at the sight of an unfamiliar person. The boy beside her was rather handsome as well, with his hair covering the right side of his face, opting for a messy look. His half-lidded eyes narrowed at Kenma, who looked down. Hinata noticed the boy's hand on the girl's back.

"Ah, Yukimi-san, Kuroo," Kenma mumbled as he stood up, making his way to the pair. He immediately turned around, making his hair flutter in the wind. "Until next time, Shoyo."

"Don't go wandering wherever you like," the tall boy reprimanded him. "You made Hana worry here."

"It's fine, Kuroo," the pretty girl told him. "Let me take that bag for you, Kenma-san."

"Sorry," Kenma said to the boy named Kuroo, then turned to the girl. "Yukimi-san, I can carry this on my own. I didn't have your number so I just waited for you to find me."

"I'll give it to you later," Yukimi replied, giving Kenma a smile. "Come on, the others are waiting for us. I'm glad you're safe, Kenma-san."

"We're strangers to this place," Kuroo told him. "You have to be careful."

Hinata watched the three of them walk away from him. The orange-haired middle blocker had a feeling they will probably meet much sooner than he thought.


	7. PAIN-INDUCING SKETCHES

"Amazing, for them to come all the way from Tokyo."

"Isn't the other team's setter kind of short?"

"Yeah, and he's kind of unsteady on his feet."

"Don't they have a reserve setter?"

The aforementioned setter only looked at the boys whispering behind his back. Not paying any mind into it, he concentrated on giving sets to his teammates who are executing their spike drills as warm-ups.

"Think they're strong? I've never heard of their high school before."

"Hey, look, they have a female manager."

"Whoa, should I go and ask for her name? She seems approachable enough."

"I wish we have a manager as pretty as her."

The golden eyes of the setter shifted from staring up at the ball and towards their manager. With her hair tied back, one could see her features very well. Blessed with a beauty that could rival someone with cosmetics, Nekoma's manager is a magnet of the males' unwanted attention. Blowing some strands of hair away from her face, she was scribbling through her notebook, probably listing some observations to share with their coach. Well, who could blame the boys from the other school when Nekoma's manager chose to not wear their red jacket, showing off a shirt fitting her figure?

The setter lightly scoffed at the gawking of the opponents.

"Metropolitan Nekoma High, right? That's their school?"

"First off," a deep voice resonated from behind the boys, making them jump in surprise. "That guy you called 'unsteady shorty'? Is our team's 'backbone', 'brain', and 'heart'." The person's face was contorted in a smug yet devilish expression, shadows decorating his visage as he tilted his head down to look at every boy in the eye. His mirthful expression then shifted into a murderous one, making the others break into a sweat. "Second, don't even think about stepping in a three-meter radius with our manager." He smirked at the uneasy faces looking up at him. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

Then, Nekoma's manager shouted to catch the attention of her team. "Gather up, we'll now start the practice match with Tsukinokizawa High School!"

"Let's go," the tall boy murmured with a smirk as he passed by the wide-eyed members of the opposing team. After rotating his head, he flashed a confident grin at their manager, ruffling her hair gently and taking his place with his teammates on the court.

"They're quite scary, right?" one of the boys whispered to his friends who only nodded in response.

* * *

The practice match started in Tsukinokizawa's favor, at least, that's what the opponent team chose to believe throughout the first half of the first set.

Yukimi never took off her eyes from the match unless she needed to take note of some minor flaws the Nekoma team executed, which were not that many. For the explanation as to why Nekoma seemed to be on a tug-of-war with Tsukinokizawa, Nekomata already filled her in before they embarked on their trip. They had this habit of letting the other team gain momentum in a game as a way of observing their tactics, their minor movements, and even their mannerisms that could aid in making them halt their momentum. Coach Nekomata all advised the Nekoma team in the beginning; don't let the ball drop on their side of the court while Kenma perceived the information from his watchful eyes.

The Nekoma team owned a mantra that Kuroo always uttered every single start of a match and hearing it while they were huddling sent chills down her spine.

 _We're like the blood in our veins. Never stop flowing. Keep moving. Keep bringing in the oxygen. So that our 'brain' can operate at his best_.

Only Kuroo Tetsurou can have the ability to come up with that one. Him and his nerdy tendencies.

"Chance ball!"

The ball flew towards the opposing court, right where their libero was positioned. The receive made an arc towards their setter as he looked around his teammates, contemplating on who he's going to give the set. Through every flinch and eye movement of the setter, the Nekoma volleyball team trained their eyes on him, making the setter panic and fumble in his place. Yukimi saw Kuroo's lips stretch in a smirk as he jumped to block the spike made by Tsukinokizawa's ace. A whistle rang through the gymnasium and she stood up from her seat to walk towards the scoreboard. Flipping it with a smile, she realized Nekoma already adapted to the new environment and their plays will be in a constant flow.

> 21-21.

Looking up, Yukimi noticed that Tsukinokizawa called for a time-out so the short-haired girl took some water bottles from beside their bench and handed it to the panting players. Receiving a chorus of gratitude from the members, she smiled at them as Nekomata listened to what Kenma noticed from the other team. The older man only had a big smile on his face while nodding after every sentence relayed by the second-year. Coach Naoi, however, also gave some of his instructions to the team the moment he finished his observations.

"Just keep doing what you have been executing so far," Naoi told them with a smile. "We recently broke their momentum so there is a possibility that we have this set in the bag. As Kenma said, Tsukinokizawa never had solid receivers since the beginning of the match but they make up for their offensive plays the entire set. Keep an eye out for their number one, he seems to have a knack of power in his spikes and also one more thing," the coach smiled knowingly, "connect."

"Osu!"

Kuroo was sipping from his water bottle as the time-out ran its course. He chose to stand beside Yukimi who was writing something in her notebook. Craning his head slightly to the right, he saw a bunch of numbers and calculations on the page, along with a series of paragraphs that greatly described the practice match commencing at the moment and some notes regarding him and his teammates.

"What are you doing?" Yukimi asked him, making him snap out of his trance in her notebook. She was now clutching the notebook on her chest and with her eyebrow raised, she looked up at him in a sizing manner. "You should be listening to what Kenma and the coaches are saying, Kuroo, not looking at my notebook while I'm budgeting our expenses for this trip."

Nekomata mentioned this to him a few days back. The reason why the old coach gave him his approval of recruiting the third-year girl as their manager was because the old man knew of her prowess in academics and how the girl seemed to be great at perceiving her surroundings. Since the two coaches will be so busy in honing the volleyball team in their skills, the club needed someone to take in charge of the financial aspect of the club and how they should audit and budget the money given to them by the school. Because the truth is told, Naoi always complained to Nekomata how much he loathes numbers and problem solving back in the days so the older coach has no choice but to find someone reliable.

And that is in the form of Kazahana Yukimi, Nekoma's golden girl.

Kuroo only hummed with a playful smile. "So do you need help with the groceries later?"

"I'm going to be perfectly fine later, Kuroo, and besides you still have a match to finish."

The tall boy scoffed, shaking his head as he looked at Yukimi's side profile with fond eyes. "Okay, but if it makes you feel better, I'm dragging Yakkun with me so we might as well go with you. And besides, we don't want our manager to get lost now, do we?"

The shrill whistle reverberated through the gym to continue the first set and Kuroo reigned in his annoyance. He turned his attention to Yukimi who was now making her way to sit next to the two coaches. "Hey, Hana," he called out, her bright eyes now on him. "Wish me luck. Oh, and if we win, buy me ice cream later!"

Yukimi opted for a weak wave as the Nekoma team took their positions in the court. Letting out a sigh, she scratched her head. "That boy will be the death of my wallet," she mumbled. "I only brought enough money for this trip and there was no room for snacks."

Nekomata laughed beside her. "He's a growing boy, Yukimi," the old man told her, using her given name. "Now that he has something waiting for him after this match, his motivation will be pumped up and it's all thanks to you! Now, don't look so glum." He patted her back affectionately with a grin, making the girl smile back at him.

A ball smacking on the ground made the two to shift their attention to the match. Yukimi's eyes widened when Taketora managed to spike over three blockers who were all gritting their teeth at the impact of Nekoma's ace's spike. Just by looking at the expression of the Tsukinokizawa players, she never had to know how much that spike would make her arm fall off. That resounding smack will be enough indication.

Now that they were a point ahead of the opponent, Nekoma continued making their streak with a variety of serves, solid receives, and their awe-inspiring display of teamwork. At one point, Kenma managed to fool even his teammates as he executed a set dump to the other court, catching off guard the other team's players. Kuroo and Inuoka also managed to shut-down the number one Naoi talked about during time-out. Yaku perfectly let up every single ball coming their court's way, passing it perfectly to Kenma who eyed every single player on his team, judging who would be perfect for his set. Fukunaga, as silent as ever, never shouts when he wants the ball to come his way, surprising the Tsukinokizawa players when he spikes. Kai, calm and collected as he is, blends in with the others as he did his back-row attack.

Every single one of Nekoma's players complemented each other and it baffles Yukimi that this team was never known throughout Japan.

> 25-21 was what the scoreboard displayed as she stood by it.

Nekoma won the first set.

And by the looks of it, the six players in their red and white uniforms looked like they were about to crush the opposing team with everything they've got as the second set commenced.

* * *

"Ah, ice cream always tastes better when it's free."

The whole sky turned orange as the day was nearing its end. After winning the practice match earlier in the day, the whole Nekoma volleyball club chose to eat heartily in a ramen shop a few blocks down as a small celebration before settling in their lodging area. Nekomata acknowledged each of the members for delivering such amazing rallies throughout the match, with the boys thanking and assuring the coach that they will continue it until their practice match with Karasuno. The older coach even teased Yukimi for gaining the attention of the students from the other school.

( "Yukimi sure knows how to enthrall men!" Nekomata told them while laughing, his two ramen bowls empty beside him. "Our manager is such a charming young lady!"

The short-haired girl had a full-on blush on her face as she slurped on her tonkotsu ramen. The whole team laughed as the girl nearly whined at the constant compliments sent her way.

"You're right there, coach!" Yaku exclaimed, pointing his chopsticks at everyone. "Yukimi-chan was even approached by some of the players of Tsukinokizawa but she only stared at them with wide eyes. You should've seen their faces when she rejected them politely!" He then laughed as Yukimi groaned silently, making Kenma who was sitting next to her, look at her with a hint of pity.

Kuroo clicked his tongue. "Hana did the right thing," he grumbled. "I should've pummeled their asses more in the practice match."

Taketora stood up from his seat. "I'm with you there, Kuroo-senpai. _Kirei-_ senpai should be off-limits!"

"Now you're going overboard there, Yamamoto!" Kuroo shouted back.

Yukimi turned to the counter with apologetic eyes, bowing repeatedly at the ramen shop's owner on behalf of her team for creating such a ruckus in the small restaurant. )

Now, with her two classmates behind her, Kuroo and Yaku, Yukimi walked down the streets leading back to Karasuno's Sougou Sports Park Training Camp Center ( which is a mouthful of a name as what Yukimi thought ). The two boys were clutching a different kind of ice cream; for Kuroo, he went with a cone of two scoops of pistachio while Yaku chose a Popsicle stick simply because he's too shy to request his favorite ice cream to Yukimi. The short girl tried reassuring him that it was completely fine and even lying that she brought extra money just so that Yaku couldn't feel left out. Yukimi wasn't convinced when Yaku told her that that Popsicle was, in fact, his favorite. This caused an unnecessary argument of both boys regarding their favorite variant of ice cream, making Yukimi walk ahead of them.

With the heavy bags on either boy's hand, the three third-years walked back peacefully. However, Yukimi had a lot of things in her mind, specifically, the food she should be cooking later for dinner. The coach said it doesn't matter what kind of concoction she would make ( Yukimi thought Nekomata's wordings seemed kind of scary, she never wanted to poison the team ) because the boys would always eat whatever is on the table. Yukimi thought of asking each member what their preference is but that would result in a rather chaotic mess that she didn't want to handle because as far as she knew, Kuroo likes fish and some of the team members expressed their repulsion for it.

So while roaming around the tiny supermarket, the short-haired girl asked if they were going to be comfortable with having curry for dinner. She breathed a sigh of relief when the two boys agreed despite her anxiety. Her heart once again skipped a beat when Kuroo reassured her.

( "I'd eat whatever you make, Hana," he said with a grin that nearly made Yukimi blush. )

"You're such a freeloader, Kuroo," Yaku replied to Kuroo's remark regarding the free ice cream. "If Yukimi-chan ends up penniless because of us, I would never hesitate in making you pay for it."

Kuroo chuckled. "Relax, Yakkun," he told him. "You're benefitting from it, too, you know?"

Yaku glared at him. "At least I'm guilty about it. Now, what about you? Hey, are you even listening to me?!"

"Am I hearing things? Oh, no, Hana, do you hear anything right now?"

"Why you—!"

Yukimi sighed. "Please don't include me in your arguments, Kuroo. I am just walking peacefully here."

"You see, Yukimi-chan wouldn't even give you the time of the day."

"I don't see the point in that statement."

Yaku growled, nearly swinging the bag of groceries at Kuroo who was cackling loudly.

"Please not the groceries," Yukimi deadpanned in front of them. Sighing at her predicament, she hastened her steps and left behind the two bickering idiots, who were now gaping at her retreating figure.

"That's your fault!" Yaku pointed at Yukimi, still walking away from them.

"Me?!" Kuroo spluttered, pointing at his chest. "You were the one who started this whole argument. You're nothing but a cantankerous degenerate!"

"Who uses those words in a normal sentence?!" Yaku exasperatedly exclaimed. "Hey, Kuroo, your nerd is showing!"

"Who gives a flying fuck, dimwit?! That shows how much my IQ is higher than yours!"

"Are you done fighting?" Kai asked, standing in front of the door with his arms crossed. The two boys were left confused when they saw the smile on his face. "Yukimi-san just went to the kitchen. I suggest you stop your bickering because she looks pretty mad." He nodded at the groceries. "She plans on cooking right now and she couldn't start without the ingredients. Give me that."

Kuroo lifted the bags away from his friend. "Why are you outside here instead of Hana, then?"

Kai tilted his head. "I offered a helping hand," he replied casually. "All of us in the team are heavy eaters so Yukimi-san couldn't handle everything all by herself."

"Why you?" Kuroo asked.

"Do you know how to cook?" Kai retaliated, raising an eyebrow.

"Give it up, Kuroo," Yaku told him, patting him on the back. "We all know you can't cook to save your life."

"Don't touch me, I'm still mad at you!"

Kai laughed under his breath, taking the bags of groceries from his friends' hands whilst distracted. At the sound of the door opening behind him, the third-year looked back to find Kenma playing with his game, his eyes never leaving the PSP's screen.

"Kai-senpai," Kenma called out, still engrossed in his game. "Yukimi-san told me to accompany you to her."

"Let's go then, Kenma," Kai replied, climbing up the stairs to where the second-year was standing.

"Why is Kenma helping?" Kuroo asked incredulously. "He doesn't know how to cook."

"I wanted to be with people I want to talk to, Kuroo," Kenma replied. "And it's Yukimi-san." The setter then turned around and followed Kai into the training center.

"Well, our dinner will probably taste the best, right, Kuroo?" Yaku asked with a teasing smile.

Kuroo only growled in reply, trudging up the stairs with a laughing Yaku in tow.

* * *

Yukimi was thankful that she learned how to cook because if not, Kai would be the poor soul to shoulder every serving of dinner in the training center. With her white apron over her shirt and Nekoma pants, the short-haired girl prepared everything she needed in making curry as she unloaded the grocery bags on the countertop. She looked around and marveled at the training center. Who knew it holds a small kitchen and dining room? That's a good thing because she managed to save up her money, thinking that the whole stay in Karasuno would rely on take-outs.

"Alright," Yukimi muttered under her breath.

Picking up the unsalted butter from the pile of ingredients; she immediately cut it, placed it inside the pot, and melt it over low heat. Yukimi managed to know how to cook curry from when she would watch her father in their kitchen, which resulted in the man teaching her to cook the perfect chicken curry. While waiting for the butter to melt, Yukimi turned around and took out the small sack of rice. Right when she was about to open it, Kai entered with an apron of his own.

"Oh," he uttered in mild surprise. "You're already starting, Yukimi-san."

Yukimi chuckled. "Might as well do it now," she answered. "Uhm, Kai-san, can you start on the rice? I'm going to start on the curry roux."

Kai rose both of his brows. "You're making curry roux from scratch, Yukimi-san?"

The short-haired girl nodded with a smile, adding the flour to the melted butter. "I learned it from my Dad when I was young," she replied with a sad smile. "Good thing I learned it, though."

Kai nodded and proceeded to open the sack of rice. Pouring it in the rice cooker's pot, the wing spiker decided to clean the rice. As the two waited for the rice to cook and the roux to turn into brown, Kenma entered the kitchen and immediately took a seat on one of the countertop chairs. 

"Don't mind me, I'm just going to be quiet here," Kenma told them, playing with his game.

Yukimi smiled at the setter. "Then, you'll be the taste-tester, Kenma-san," she informed him, making the boy look up from his game and stare at Yukimi with wide-eyes. Yukimi was smiling wistfully while adding the garam masala, cayenne pepper, and curry powder, not knowing how Kenma stared at her. After stirring and adding a pinch of salt, Yukimi hummed. "This should do it. Here, Kenma-san." She held out a spoon with some curry roux on it to Kenma who tentatively took it from her. "You, too, Kai-san."

"Thank you," Kai took another spoon from her grasp and placed it in his mouth. He widened his eyes at the taste of the curry roux. "This tastes amazing, Yukimi-san, and it's only the roux."

"That means a lot to me, Kai-san," she replied, setting aside the roux and taking out the chicken from the bag. "Kai-san, would you please cut the vegetables?"

Kai nodded and smiled at her, cutting the carrots, onions, and potatoes. Yukimi, on the other hand, seasoned the chicken after cutting it into small pieces. While the short-haired girl proceeded in grating the ginger, she heard Kenma clear his throat, making her look at the setter in concern.

"It's delicious, Yukimi-san," Kenma's quiet voice mumbled while looking down.

"Thank you, Kenma-san," she beamed, more than satisfied to hear a compliment from Kenma. So the whole time she was cooking alongside Kai, she was smiling so wide that even Kenma couldn't help but to let out a small smile.

"Smells good in here," Kuroo announced his arrival, leaning on the counter beside Kenma. He settled his eyes on Yukimi who was laughing at Kuroo, his eyes softening at the sight of her. Her short-hair was tied up in a low ponytail and her bangs were pinned back, making Kuroo admire her gentle and alluring visage. And there's something about her in an apron that sent his mind malfunctioning. _So this is what she looks like when she's cooking for her significant other in the future?_ Her brown eyes were suddenly on him, making Kuroo's heart skip a beat. He tried composing himself as he told her, "Doing a great job, Hana."

Yukimi rolled her eyes at him, shifting her attention back to the stirring the sautéed vegetables with the added chicken. "Do you want to help, Kuroo?"

Kuroo instantly shook his head with a laugh. "Uhm, no, I'd rather not spoil our dinner," he said. "I'm here to ask you if I can borrow your notes on integrals and your physics textbook."

The short girl nodded her head. "Go ahead. Kenma will just call you when dinner's ready."

"Yes, ma'am," Kuroo saluted, turning around with a wave after giving Yukimi a grin.

When Yukimi looked at Kai, the boy had a knowing smile on his face, making the short-haired girl scrunch her face in confusion. "What?"

Kai shook his head with a smile, going back to stirring the broth. "Nothing, Yukimi-san."

* * *

Yukimi's handwriting is the prettiest Kuroo had ever seen.

As he waited for Kenma to call them down to eat, Kuroo took it upon himself to study a few lessons in advance. It was a good thing Yukimi brought the physics textbook because if not, it would make Kuroo's mind combust. Because of afternoon practice, he never paid any mind to his school works, which is such great progress for a nerd like Kuroo. For forty-five minutes, the bed-haired lad only scribbled some important equations, memorized them, familiarized the concepts, and also looked at Yukimi's highlighted sections in her notes and book. He slightly chuckled at the sticky-notes on some of the pages, written with cute reminders that she should write some notes on this lesson or memorize the formulas in this chapter.

His studying seemed to be normal until he flipped right into a drawing of Romio wedged between the pages. The paper of the drawing looked like it came from Yukimi's notes and was only randomly drawn during class. But it squeezed Kuroo's chest to the point that he felt his heart clench. Yukimi perfectly drew the contours of Romio's cheekbones and the downturn of his lips ( because that boy never smiles, Kuroo thought ). The more time he continued staring at the drawing, he felt himself glare at it.

Stuffing it back to the book angrily, Kuroo heard Taketora and the first-years talking amongst themselves.

"So," Taketora started, crossing his arms. "In two days, we'll be meeting the rumored Karasuno High School volleyball club. The question is whether or not our supposed destined rival, Karasuno, has a female manager like us! I bet a yakisoba bread that they don't!"

Inuoka incredulously looked at his upperclassman. "What?" he asked. "I'd be happy if they had one so that _kirei_ -senpai can have a friend. I'm going to say yes."

"Me, too," Shibayama exclaimed with a big smile.

"Bastards!" Taketora shouted, pointing at the two with a glare. "What would you do if their manager turns out to be a gorilla chick and would attempt to hurt our manager?! How dare you, you're all traitors!"

"Uh," both first-years uttered at the same time.

"But what if their manager would be a pretty one just like _kirei-_ senpai?" Shibayama asked the teary-eyed Taketora.

"That's out of the question!" the second-year shouted. He then stood up from his seat and opened the window to scream into the night. "You hear me, Karasuno?! You better watch out if you ever lay your eyes on our manager! I will never forgive you if your gorilla manager hurts our _kirei-_ senpai as well!"

With the anger he felt for Romio and the ever-rising voice of Taketora, Kuroo gripped the physics textbook too tight that some of the pages crinkled under his grip. He swiveled his head towards Taketora who was still in front of the opened window. "Shut up, Yamamoto!" he shouted.

With the sound of the door opening, Taketora turned around with hopeful eyes to Kenma who was planning to call them to dinner. "Oi!" The Mohawk-haired boy called. "Which d'you think it'll be, Kenma?!"

"Stop shouting!" Kuroo scolded. "We're literally in the same room."

Kenma blinked at Taketora's remark. "I don't care," he muttered, trailing at the end. "Wait, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yamamoto-senpai made a bet with us if Karasuno has a female manager as well," Shibayama filled him in.

"Ah," Kenma slightly nodded. "I don't really care."

Taketora pouted. "I figured you would say that," he muttered. "You're no fun."

"But," Kenma stated, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "I'm kind of looking forward to it — our match with Karasuno."

At this, Shibayama, Inouka, and Taketora expressed their surprise ( mostly Taketora who froze up ). "Kenma, _the_ Kenma, who never feels like doing anything, who doesn't have any will to play volleyball — is looking forward to a match?!"

Kuroo, who had enough, leaned back on his position on the floor and glared openly at Taketora. "Yamamoto, if you've got that much energy," the captain started, his voice slowly rising in volume. "How about I make you practice double because it looks like that's what you want."

Taketora squeaked. "S—Sorry!"

"Yukimi-san told me to call you because dinner's ready," Kenma informed them.

The first-years cheered alongside Taketora who was teary-eyed once again at the thought of tasting their manager's cooking. "Wah!" Taketora exclaimed. " _Kirei_ -senpai's cooking!"

"When will these dimwits shut up?" Kuroo muttered under his breath as he stood up from his seat, looking at the physics book with furrowed brows. Shaking his head, he followed his teammates down the hallways and stairs to finally eat dinner.

Upon arriving at the dining room, the entire volleyball team seemed to be livelier than usual this evening as Yukimi gave each member and the coaches their share in chicken curry and rice from behind the countertop. Lining up behind Kenma, he looked down on the ground as Kenma received his plate.

"Here you go, Kuroo," Yukimi told him with a smile.

Never looking back at Yukimi's brown eyes, Kuroo took the plate and immediately made his way towards the long table, choosing a seat without any vacant spaces around it. He doesn't know why he felt this bubbling anger in the pit of his stomach, making him grit his teeth as he remembered the detailed sketch of Romio in Yukimi's book. He never minded Yukimi's feelings towards that person, until now, when he saw how deep her feelings went, seeing as she sketched Romio during class.

Kuroo never looked at Yukimi the whole night despite the huge urge to do so. Because if he does glance at her for a minute, he should've seen the concerned eyes she sent his way.

But he chose not to.

And he chose to encourage Yukimi to confess to Romio before Interhigh.

Even if he's going to look and feel like an idiot. 


	8. COMMENCE.

There was something wrong with Kuroo. Not that it connotes anything negative but whenever Yukimi was talking to him, he acted as if he was never listening in the first place. His smiles were always forced when they were being directed to her. There was also a time when she happened to stand beside him during one of the practice matches’ time-out and the tall lad immediately walked away from her to place himself beside Kai ( who looked perplexed at the captain’s behavior because the normal Kuroo would relish the proximity with Yukimi ). He seemed to be just fine yesterday but his mood swing probably started before dinner because by then, he was showing her the cold shoulder. Although she felt bothered by it, Yukimi chose to let it slide, thinking that it could be the nerves brought by their practice match with Karasuno the next day.

Everything was fine until Kuroo went inside the kitchen while Yukimi was cooking and the next few words he uttered made the girl stop.

“Do you still like Kagami?”

He said it so casually that Yukimi swore he waved away her awkward mannerisms. Because who wouldn’t fidget when the story seemed to affect her more than she expected.

The story goes this way.

— Once upon a time, a girl of smiles and a boy of golden rays met and became immediate friends. They were exposed to a new environment so different than their previous one for they were used to viewing the mountaintops and the lush forests of their hometown. They were introduced to the city so drastically that they had no choice but to stick to each other. The boy spent every single moment with the girl; he would turn to her every vacant hour and ask her if she could teach him how to draw ( of course, the girl never turned him down ) and his close proximity with her would always make her heart beat so fast.

One afternoon, while the sun was ready to welcome the night, the girl had thoughts plaguing her head that urged her to scream. The boy, who seemed to care a lot about her, walked with unsure steps and stopped in front of her. _“Do you want to get out of here?”_ was what he uttered. The girl could feel the warmth bubbling in her stomach, melting away the butterflies’ cage that she secured before moving away from her hometown. That was probably the moment the girl realized that she liked the boy more than a friend. They enjoyed the mellow glow of the sunset as they talked about constellations, music, interests, and each other. It was such an amazing sight.

Until the girl was left alone and the afternoons of ice cream and laughter faded away instantly when the boy turned his back on her, very much like the people who knew her when she was younger. However, her lonely days cleared when the boy told her he liked her — that she wasn’t like any girl who fell for the class’ most popular boy ( like that’s any indication of liking someone ). The girl was ecstatic when she heard the confession but everything went down the drain when he told her that he chose to forget what he feels for her, that he regrets ever falling in love with her. That sent the girl into a spiral of doubting herself and yet the girl never stopped pining over the boy, making herself look like an idiot for chasing after him after neglecting her feelings.

They never experienced their ever-afters.

And now the story that Yukimi always held within her heart opened its pages the moment Kuroo uttered those words.

With a shaky breath, she looked up from the chopping board and looked at Kuroo dead in the eye. “Why are you asking that, Kuroo?” she laughed, making the tall lad furrow his brows. “I mean, that question is so random and I’m asking what made you think of that.”

Kuroo looked away and stared at the wall. “I’m making sure of something,” he answered.

“I still like Romio.”

The tall lad pursed his lips as his heart dropped. Gulping, he still didn’t look at her as he asked another question, “Why don’t you confess to him, then?”

“I don’t want to.”

Kuroo’s golden eyes shifted to her, taking in the sorrowful look on her visage — how she forced her attention towards the vegetables on the countertop even though the weight of his stare seemed to make her squirm. “Why?” he breathed. “I saw the way he looks at you.” _Because it’s no different from me_. “He likes you, Hana. Aren’t you glad that he feels the same way about you?”

She stopped cutting, placing the knife on the countertop. With blank eyes, Yukimi lifted up the chopping board and poured the vegetables in the pot. “I am glad, yes,” she sighed. “But confessing my feelings will be such a waste if I already know what he’ll be going to say in return.” Lifting her eyes to meet Kuroo’s gaze, she tried smiling. “You know, he told me that he regretted liking me and if I confess, it’s going to be a situation that I will have to bear for the rest of my stay in Nekoma. However, that won’t change the fact that I still like him. Maybe someday, if I’m strong enough, I’ll tell him my undeterred feelings for him.”

Kagami discreetly rejected her? That was utter bullshit. Kuroo clenched his jaw, preventing himself from cursing that boy out loud because as much he hated that Kagami’s guts and blank face, he still cared for the girl who fell in love with him — the girl who bored these melancholic eyes that did not suit her at all. “Why would he say that?” he huffed. “Shouldn’t he be happy that there’s someone — someone this amazing and wonderful — who grew to like him despite his insecurities. Yes, I overheard his heart-to-heart talk with one of his friends, and your crush never seems to stop talking about his flaws.” When Yukimi glared at him, he sighed. “That wasn’t meant to ridicule him, I was just simply proving a point.”

“Uh-huh,” Yukimi nodded, looking at Kuroo with narrowed eyes. She turned towards the pot and lowered the heat of the stove as she stirred the stew with a ladle. “You know, I joined the choir last year just because of him? I was such an idiot.” She laughed to herself mockingly, making Kuroo look at her in concern. “I quit because somebody asked me if I joined the club for my sake. That made me realize how idiotic my decisions are because of Romio. I couldn’t help it — love makes us do crazy things that we didn’t know we could do, after all.”

“You blew me away that time,” Kuroo breathed, shocking Yukimi. When she looked at him with widened eyes, the tall lad had the urge to take back what he said. This couldn’t be the time he would be confessing, right? This setting is so lame and so normal. He wanted something grandeur when he confesses his feelings to Yukimi. “Uhm — what I’m trying to say is that maybe it wasn’t because of Kagami that you joined the choir. You always have a great voice, Hana, and I think your inclination to singing and anything art-related made you join that club. And besides, the more you mention that you joined the choir because of that boy, he will make it something that could boost his ego and it’s not a good look on him.”

Yukimi stared at him, not breathing at the tension surrounding the two of them in the kitchen. “If you’re trying to make me feel better, Kuroo,” she told him. “I — uhm — thank you.” The intensity of Kuroo’s words made her stutter and blush. He found her voice great? Breathing a heavy sigh, she looked down and weighed that she didn’t need another person in her life to make her confused about their mixed signals.

“I will always make you feel better, Hana,” Kuroo muttered, eyes soft and half-lidded as he stared at her. “We, the volleyball club, even the two coaches, will make you feel that you are special. It’s basically our job to take care of you.” He held up a hand when Yukimi opened her mouth to retaliate. “I know, you as a manager, took it upon yourself to take care of us but who better people to take care of you in return than us as well? Am I right or am I right?”

Yukimi couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess,” she answered. “It’s all thanks to the club that I don’t usually have bad days and I’m forever thankful for that.”

Kuroo chuckled under his breath. “As for your question as to why I asked you if you still like Kagami, I asked you that because I saw a drawing of him in your physics textbook.”

Yukimi froze, her face turning into an adorable shade of red that made Kuroo cackle. “You saw that?” she sheepishly asked him.

“Yes, unfortunately,” he replied, his laughs still coming in occasionally. “You draw beautifully, by the way. You captured him in his blank face so perfectly that I assumed it was the real thing.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“I was telling the truth,” he reasoned out, putting his hands up in mock surrender. “How can you fit so many talents in that little body? You’re probably the most talented in the club – heck, you can sing like a siren, you can paint like Monet, you can sketch like Da Vinci, and you’re tied with me in the class standing! Nobody can do that!” The two of them laughed. “Anyways, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I mean, it’s completely normal for people to draw others besides the fact that it’s creepy at the same time.” Kuroo chuckled when Yukimi gave him another glare. “I’ll stop there, okay? Don’t let my comment get to you, it was meant to tease you, that’s all.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” Yukimi huffed.

“By the way, I’m sorry for acting like that last night and earlier in the day,” he told her. “I was out of the line and it won’t happen again. My emotions got the best of me and I couldn’t help it.” _Fucking hell, Kuroo, don’t spew out the word vomit_. “I’m sorry. You don’t know how much this conversation resolved our misunderstanding. Friends?” He extended his hand towards Yukimi with a smirk.

The girl rolled her eyes with a smile. “Stop smirking, you look like one of those kids who’s up to no good,” she told him, making him laugh. “And yes, friends.” She placed her hand in Kuroo’s outstretched one and she couldn’t help but marvel at the way it engulfed hers like an embrace. Smiling warmly at their entwined hands, Yukimi felt her heart pound under the scarlet Nekoma jacket, her smile widening when she found herself tangled in Kuroo’s gaze. “Why don’t you help me set up plates and bowls on the countertop, captain?”

Kuroo laughed, taking back his hand, already missing the way it wrapped around hers. “Yes, ma’am, command me all you want.”

“You don’t have to phrase it like that.”

“What? What are you thinking, you pervy manager.”

“Ugh, you’re hopeless. I may have to revoke that friendship card.”

“Please don’t.”

“Just as I thought.”

* * *

The tension in the morning nearly sent Yukimi to a frenzy as she prepared breakfast, with Nekomata and Naoi sipping on their cups of coffee she made especially to energize them. While she was mixing her egg-fried rice, the volleyball club jittered as they entered the dining area, some of them zipping up their jackets while others still yawned. Flashing a bright smile, Yukimi welcomed them. “Good morning,” she greeted, receiving expressions of awe from the volleyball team.

“Wah,” Taketora beamed. “Such an amazing sight for such an early morning. If _kirei_ -senpai greeted us with her smile and apron, I’d never mind having practice matches with that Karasuno team. Oh, goddess, bless us!”

“ _Kirei-_ senpai,” the first years chorused, marveling at their manager who only chuckled nervously in response.

Yaku walked forward and took Yukimi’s hands into his, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks were tainted with a light blush. He looked at her seriously, making the girl stare at him in weighing confusion. “Marry me!” he exclaimed, causing chaos in the small dining area. Nekomata could only laugh at his students while Naoi let out a dejected sigh at the noise their club was causing.

Kuroo took a step forward and grabbed the back of Yaku’s jacket with an irked face. “What are you saying, Yakkun?!” he asked in a loud voice. Kai, in the background, was trying to soothe the situation with his calm and collected nature but it wasn’t working when the two third-years were already at each other’s necks. “Stop spouting some nonsense so early in the morning, Yakkun, that must be why you have so little brain cells left in that head of yours.”

“Excuse me, you rooster-headed freak!” Yaku retaliated, irking Kuroo even more. “We’re in the same class and that means my brain cells are on par with yours. And besides, it doesn’t bother Yukimi-chan, so why does it bother you?” Yaku had a knowing smirk on his face that made Kuroo freeze for a second. This short boy wouldn’t expose him, right? But judging from the mischievous glint and dark chuckle Yaku let out, Kuroo carefully loosened his grip on Yaku’s jacket. Sending Kuroo’s defeat, Yaku laughed. “One point for me this morning!”

“They’re so noisy,” Kenma mumbled under his breath, his head lolling to the side because he woke up so early in the morning. Golden Week meant relaxation in Kenma’s part, which means sleeping in after a night of video games. But his short vacation in the virtual world ceased when the trip to Miyagi was announced so now he had to suffer from his irregular body clock. Yawning from his spot beside Yukimi, he instantly shrieked under his breath when a cold surface brushed against his cheek. He looked up and saw Yukimi’s smile and a box of milk on her hand.

“Here,” she told him. “To wake you up, Kenma-san. I’ll give you the first plate of breakfast so that you’ll drink that while it’s cold. We don’t want you to have an upset stomach before the match, right?”

Kenma nodded at her, his eyes still wide at the small act of kindness Yukimi showed him. To be honest, it warmed his heart and it made him think of Yukimi as an older sister — someone who will always take care of him and it caused his lips to turn up as he looked down on the cold box of milk. While being distracted by the beverage in his hand, Yukimi slid a medium-sized bowl of egg-fried rice and a small bowl of miso soup in front of him. Grinning at the setter, Yukimi turned around and started serving the others their breakfast.

As Yukimi placed Kuroo’s breakfast in front of him, he looked at her with inquiring eyes. “Why’d you serve Kenma his breakfast first?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the second year who was timidly eating a spoonful of rice at the other end of the table. “And why does he have milk with him? Where did he get that?”

“He needed the cold beverage,” she replied, placing a plate in front of Yaku who was seated beside Kuroo, thanking her in with bright eyes. “He was so sleepy, Kuroo, I had to give it to him.” When she passed by, the boy caught her arm, making her turn to him in confusion. “What? You need milk, too?”

Kuroo shook his head and gently pulled her down to the vacant seat beside him. “Eat,” he told her. “You’ve already given everyone their breakfast, now it’s your turn to eat.” The boy reached in front of Yukimi and placed the bowls of rice and soup in front of her. “You know, you have to be with us when we greet the Karasuno volleyball club so you better start eating.”

“But I’m supposed to help Coach Naoi set up the bench of the team,” she reasoned out but Kuroo shook his head.

“Coach Nekomata told me it’s fine,” Kuroo answered with a grin, nodding at Nekomata who smiled widely at the pair with a thumbs-up. “See, now eat.”

Thinking that she had no choice but to follow Kuroo’s commands, Yukimi dug in and ate spoonful after spoonful of egg-fried rice since all those cooking really made her stomach grumble. Nothing beats eating the things you made on a fine day. While slurping on her bowl of miso soup, Yukimi could hear Kuroo snicker beside her, making her roll her eyes. Finishing up her breakfast like everybody else, she stood up and advised everyone to leave their empty bowls in the counter so that she will have to load it in the dishwasher while they get ready to stand by the entrance of the training center.

After minutes of waiting for the dishwasher to do its job, Yukimi tidied up the bowls, wiped her hands on the towel by the refrigerator, and walked out of the kitchen. In front of the entrance to the kitchen was Kuroo who was leaning on the wall, a blank look in his face as he stared at the ground with hooded eyes. When he felt the presence of Yukimi, he looked up and prevented a laugh to come out. The girl’s short hair was sticking in different places, making Kuroo doubt if she ever combed after taking a bath in the first place.

“Didn’t you comb your hair?” Kuroo asked, pushing off from the wall to stand in front of Yukimi. Noticing that Yukimi nearly reached his chin, Kuroo smiled absentmindedly at their height difference as Yukimi looked up at him to meet his eyes. Without putting any thought in it, he reached out and ran his fingers through the black locks. Fixing her hair seemed to be the most natural thing to do as he looked down on her and gently combed through the strands. With no hair out of place, Kuroo smiled in satisfaction without backing up from his position. Though he appeared to be cool about it, Kuroo’s heart and mind were malfunctioning at his actions. “There, looking good as new. I swear, I thought you really combed, good thing your hair’s so soft or else it will still be in tangles.”

Yukimi never said a word in return as she only looked at Kuroo with wide eyes and a flushed face. Kuroo seemed to take notice of her flustered appearance and he couldn’t help but be flustered as well — his face turning red to match hers. Clearing his throat, he looked away from her brown eyes and tried composing himself. “Come on, everyone should be waiting for us at the entrance,” he told her, taking her arm gently and leading her towards the entrance of the training center.

Every member of Nekoma was lined up and Kuroo stood at the end of the line with Yukimi at the back of the team. Their wait wasn’t that long when at exactly 8:50, the Karasuno volleyball club slightly ran when they noticed that their rival team was already waiting. Their black tracksuits were in great contrast with Nekoma’s red ones as they stood in front of the Nekoma volleyball team. Yukimi could hear someone express their shock but jumped suddenly when a very familiar voice boomed, “Greet your opponents!” This was followed by a chorus of ‘Let’s have a great game!’ from both teams.

When the teams dispersed and when Yukimi wanted to approach her childhood friend, the short-haired girl noticed a rather beautiful girl, who looked about her age, try to carry two bags over each shoulder. The girl could be Karasuno’s manager since she was wearing the same tracksuit as their volleyball team. As Yukimi neared her, the girl looked at her with wide eyes behind her glasses. Completely in awe of her aesthetics, Yukimi tried to compose herself and opted for a smile which made the other girl fluster.

“Let me help,” Yukimi told the girl with a grin. “Us, managers, have to help each other once in a while. What’s your name?”

The girl seemed to be awestruck at the sight of her as she mindlessly gave the other bag to Yukimi who took it with a slight bow. She couldn’t form her usual response of ‘ _It’s light so I don’t mind carrying this_ ’ when the girl standing in front of her looked like a seraph sent from the heavens. She pushed up the glasses up her nose and muttered a response, “Shimizu Kiyoko.”

“Wah,” Yukimi marveled. “That’s such a pretty name.” This made Kiyoko flush a light pink. “I’m Kazahana Yukimi.”

Kiyoko only wordlessly stared at her when Yukimi once again flashed a smile. That girl could break hearts right there, was what Kiyoko thought. Following after her, the bespectacled girl smiled at the company Yukimi brought. The taller girl never felt any awkwardness seep into their conversation and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m a third-year as well, Kazahana-san,” Kiyoko answered when the short-haired girl asked what year she was. “I’m kind of worried after the Interhigh since we were already given a choice if we want to partake in the club after the tournament since college exams are already here.”

Yukimi nodded at her. “I only joined our volleyball club at the start of the academic year,” she told her. “I never knew the pressure of staying in the club could be so overwhelming when I just joined for a short amount of time.”

“You belong to different clubs the other years?” Kiyoko inquired, genuinely curious at the girl beside her.

“Yeah,” Yukimi nodded. “I was once in the photography club and the school’s choir but I quit and wanted to focus more on the academics.” She scratched her head with a little laugh. “But Kuroo, our club’s captain, volunteered me to be their manager since they were looking for students who never joined clubs — and here I am.”

Kiyoko chuckled. “Managing a club wouldn’t be so bad, Kazahana-san,” she said. “Especially if you’re surrounded with amazing people like them.” She gestured towards both teams who have appeared to be talking amongst each other.

“Yeah,” Yukimi breathed, a smile painted on her face.

Their conversation, however, was interrupted when two loud voices echoed from the entrance of the building. Yukimi looked at the doors of the training center and the sight nearly made her laugh. Taketora and a somewhat similar-looking guy were pointing at their direction, both of them had blushes on their faces. The short-haired girl caught the gawking stare of Karasuno’s version of Taketora ( without the Mohawk ) and flashed a smile to him which caused him to combust on the floor. Yukimi heard Kiyoko sigh from her side, making her look at the bespectacled girl with curious eyes.

“I’m sorry for Tanaka’s behavior, Kazahana-san,” she apologized.

Yukimi waved away the apology with a small smile. “It’s alright, Shimizu-san,” she replied. “I’m used to the similar treatment of the Nekoma’s volleyball club.”

Upon reaching the entrance, Yukimi looked around when she noticed that Taketora went missing. Turning to Shibayama and Inuoka, she asked, “Where’s Taketora-san?”

“He ran inside crying when he saw that Karasuno has a manager,” Inuoka relayed, shrugging.

“Probably because he lost a bet to us,” Shibayama continued. “He owed us two yakisoba bread for saying the other team doesn’t have a manager.”

Yukimi sighed at them. “Why would he do that?”

The two first-years answered with a shrug.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” she beckoned the players and Kiyoko inside the training center.

Kenma, who was walking alongside her, spoke up. “That looks quite heavy, Yukimi-san,” he pointed out.

The girl shook her head. “It’s actually really light, Kenma-san,” she answered.

Arriving inside the main gym, Yukimi followed Kiyoko to Karasuno’s bench, the latter thanking her for helping. Bidding the bespectacled manager a bit of ‘good luck’, she turned around and immediately went to the direction of Karasuno’s captain. Making sure that he wouldn’t notice her creeping behind him, she stopped behind him. It looks like he was engaged with Kuroo in a conversation so she waited a few more seconds to announce her presence.

“Wow, Daichi, you’re still the same as always,” she voiced out with a smile.

Daichi froze and slowly turned around to meet Yukimi’s brown eyes, her face stretched into a smile. Breathing out a laugh, he embraced the short girl. Laughing in equal enthusiasm, Yukimi wrapped her arms around her childhood friend’s shoulders. He was taller than she remembered and yet his kind face and short hair seemed to stay the same. However, she also sensed something that shifted in her friend’s demeanor — his presence seemed to be stronger than in middle school. Well, it’s a good thing that Daichi picked himself up after their loss in the junior tournament. While the two were basking in their reunion, Kuroo was left speechless at the sight, as well as the occupants in the gym.

After a full minute of embracing each other, Daichi held Yukimi in arms’ length and surveyed her appearance. He then laughed in delight, “You seem to be prettier than the last time I’ve seen you, Yuki-chan. Such a waste to cut off all of your hair, though, you looked well with it.”

Yukimi laughed. “It was getting hard to keep it in place so I had it cut before the start of this academic year. And look at you! You’ve grown taller than the last time _I’ve_ seen you, now you’re like a building and I hate it!”

Daichi chuckled. “You ought to take in a lot of supplements, then,” he teased her. “That way you won’t be looking like a kid.”

“Hey!” Yukimi exclaimed. “My height is perfect enough as it is!”

“Same old Yuki-chan,” Daichi said. “I miss you, you know?”

“And I miss you, too,” she replied with a large smile.

Somebody cleared their throat and the pair looked back to see Kuroo flashing them a fake smile, his hand outstretched. “So, we’re looking forward to our match today.”

Daichi stepped forward and accepted the handshake, holding back his groan of pain when he felt Kuroo’s hand tighten around his. Flashing a smile to his direction, he tightened his grip on Kuroo’s hand as well. “I’m looking forward to it as well.”

Yukimi flinched at the ominous atmosphere radiating from the two captains as she stood at the side. Suddenly, Kuroo walked towards her and with a gentle hand placed on her back, the tall lad led her towards Nekoma’s bench. “Didn’t know you were chummy-chummy with the rivals, Hana,” he muttered angrily.

“Ah, Daichi? He’s my childhood friend from when I was in Miyagi. Kuroo, you don’t have to worry about him,” she told him while looking up at his pursed visage. “Focus on the practice match today, okay? Despite the fact that he’s my childhood friend, I’m still rooting for you and the team.”

Kuroo’s heart skipped a beat as he looked down at Yukimi with wide eyes. “I’ll definitely win the practice match, then.”

As the two smiled at each other, voices in the background made her chuckle under her breath.

“Ah! It’s the couple I saw that picked up Kenma!”

“What are you talking about, Hinata, you dumbass?!”

“Daichi-san! You never told us you knew that beautiful manager of Nekoma’s!”

“Shut up, Tanaka, Nishinoya!”

“But really, Daichi, you kept that pretty girl a secret. There go our three years of friendship.”

“Suga, you too?!”

Now sitting beside Nekomata, Yukimi grinned with the old coach when ‘The Battle of the Trash Heap’ was announced to begin.


	9. THE BATTLE OF THE TRASH HEAP

_What was that?_

Yukimi’s grip on the notebook loosened when the orange-haired boy Kenma befriended ran in utmost speed in the very first rally and spiked the ball to Nekoma’s court with his eyes closed. So far, she had never seen something so reckless and so terrific at the same time. She turned to Nekomata who had his jaw dropped. “What the heck was that, Coach?” she tried asking the older coach.

Nekomata only shook his head in response, his face still contorted in shock. “I don’t even know, Yukimi,” he replied. “He wasn’t even looking at the toss!”

Turning back to court, the members of the Nekoma team seemed to be astonished as well with Inuoka exclaiming how fast that quick attack was and Yaku murmuring behind the tall first-year how could the opponent team manage such a fast attack in that position. Though surprised as well, Kenma maintained his stoic and blank face as he intently looked at Hinata, his eyes never flinching when the ginger-haired boy expressed his joy at the second-year’s compliment — he continued analyzing the shorter player as they celebrated their first point.

Kuroo continued shouting at his teammates to pay no mind at the lost point while patting some of his friends on the back. However, the captain’s eyes would occasionally glance at Yukimi’s direction and the two would wave at each other when their gazes meet. Feeling the butterflies in his stomach, Kuroo’s grin was noticed by Yaku who only rose an eyebrow in question. The captain tried grinning mockingly at the libero to hide his dreamy expression. “What?”

Yaku’s shook his head with a grin as he stared at Yukimi and back to Kuroo. “I think it’s time for you to make a move, Kuroo,” he told the tall lad. “You have my blessings!”

“Who are you? Her dad?!” Kuroo shouted at him with a jeer.

“Kuroo! Yaku! Focus!”

The next rally was started with Tanaka’s serve which executed a perfect arc, however, it was received flawlessly by Fukunaga, who returned it to Kenma with a bounce on his step. The setter glanced at his teammates for a second and tossed to their ace, Taketora, who shouted rather colorfully as he spiked the ball right at the Karasuno’s blockers. With the ball moving at a straight course, Karasuno’s libero, Nishinoya, received it with steady feet, passing the volleyball to Kageyama. Everybody was on edge as the first-year setter positioned himself right in the middle of Azumane Asahi and Hinata. Right when Inouka and Taketora jumped to block the small middle blocker, the orange team’s ace made an opening, spiking the ball right in a barren part of the court. Yukimi’s eyes slowly widen when Yaku tried saving the ball by stretching his arm to the right.

Nekomata noticed the girl’s shocked expression, making the old coach smile fondly as Yukimi’s eyes sparkled at the match. He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Our libero’s pretty incredible, right, Yukimi?” he said. “Though Karasuno have such promising players as well. The fact that they shouldn’t have been able to return the ball just now, we couldn’t do such a thing to stop it. Is their spiker even a high-schooler? He looks like an adult!”

Yukimi chuckled under her breath, looking at the coach with wary consideration. “There you go again with judging the book by its cover, coach,” she joked. Yukimi faced the front with a wistful smile as she arrestingly eyed the players of the other team. “Their libero has such a solid foundation in keeping the ball up and their ace really deserved to be called the title by boosting up their morales.” Her eyes were trained on the short boy with a blonde tuft of hair in his spiky hairdo and the tall lad who was smiling unsurely at the compliments of his friends. After predicting some of their statistics, Yukimi looked at the first-year setter at the next second. “But coach, don’t you think, the most unexpected one in their team is—“

Nekomata nodded with a laugh. “The setter,” he finished. “Seems like Kenma’s inconspicuous eyes rubbed off on you!” He patted her in the back with a heartfelt laugh. “We’ll just have to wait what our team has in store, right? You finally witnessed them play these past three days so it’s safe to say that you know what they’re about to do.”

Yukimi flashed a knowing smile as she looked up to see Inuoka jogging in their direction. Placing her notebook down for a second, she stood up to give the first-year’s water bottle. Inuoka’s eyes seem to sparkle with gratitude as he took the water bottle from the manager’s grasp, his loud voice echoed in the gymnasium as he uttered Yukimi’s nickname. Yukimi chuckled at the enthusiasm exhibited by the middle blocker.

"Inuoka, you seem to be bouncing rather cheerfully,” she noted, then nodding at the direction of Karasuno’s side of the court. “That small middle blocker could be the cause.”

“I’m starting to wonder if his soles have some springs on them because he was jumping so high, _kirei_ -senpai!” Inouka blabbered, making the third-year laugh a little. “I’m going to block him, _kirei_ -senpai, so better keep your eyes on that!”

“I wouldn’t miss it, Inuoka,” Yukimi replied with a smile and a thumbs-up, lifting the spirits of the middle blocker up as he entered the court again.

As the manager sat back down beside Nekomata, the tallest Karasuno player managed a feint, making a two-point lead against Nekoma. And once more, the ginger-haired number ten flew and took everyone by surprise. Beside her, Nekomata turned silent the entirety of the rallies. “How many points has number ten scored so far, Yukimi?” he asked the short-haired girl with sweat dripping on his forehead.

“Of their eleven points, he scored four so far, coach. Also, because of his ability to lure our players with his role as a decoy, their wings spikers, numbers three and five, have a high success rate in scoring.”

Nekomata hummed with a smirk, standing up to gesture a time-out to Naoi, who acted as the referee. As the whistle pierced the gymnasium, the players of Nekoma walked over to their coach, who was standing in front of the bench with his hands in his pockets. “The way you’ve been playing,” he started with slightly narrowed eyes. “Is not going to work against Karasuno.” Several of the players expressed their surprise from the coach’s remark. “That guy is a real monster.”

“Number 10?” Yaku asked in realization.

The old coach looked back at Yukimi, gesturing for her to speak. The manager nodded her head, her notebook clutched against her chest. “Yes, that number ten managed to capture our attention with his rambunctious playing but their setter seems to be the one doing all the ropes,” she informed the team, who was awestruck at her composure. “His tosses are always sent to the highest point of their spikers’ swing, which means his level of control is insane. Those tosses weren’t just meant for anyone — it only works for players who jump at their apex, combined with unconditional trust.” She didn’t notice when Yaku gestured for Taketora to lightly nudge Kuroo on the side. The captain tore his gaze from Yukimi to look at the libero with a raised eyebrow when he felt the ace’s elbow dig in his ribs. Yaku grinned a little and nodded at the manager who was relaying things from her notebook, making Kuroo shake his head with a minuscule smile.

As Yukimi stopped talking, Nekomata wore a proud smile on his face. “Correctly said, Yukimi!” he praised her with a large smile. “As you can hear from our manager, that setter is a genius in the field of volleyball. There’s nothing we can do about it except for letting their team do their own thing. Geniuses are beyond our control as it is but,” his expression turned menacing in an instant, “a genius can’t win at all if he garnered rapport with a certain person.”

Kenma looked down as their huddle became quiet for a moment. He looked at Yukimi who smiled encouragingly at him, giving him a surge of courage to speak up. “Shoyo’s the heart of Karasuno’s offense,” he muttered. “So we just have to stop him.”

Taketora looked lost at the mention of the number ten’s given name. “Shoyo? Is that someone we know?”

Kuroo shifted his attention from Yukimi to his confused underclassman. “That speedy number ten,” he deadpanned, turning back to staring at the short-haired girl. But the moment he fixed his eyes on her, her caramel irises were already on him. Kuroo flinched at the eye-contact, tearing his eyes away quickly with his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He felt his cheeks flush, creeping through his ears, as he attempted to look at anywhere except Yukimi.

“If we let him move around freely,” Kenma continued, making Kuroo knock out of his stupor. The messy-haired captain had to regain his thoughts to know that Kenma was referring to Karasuno’s number ten. Damn it, when Yukimi comes to the equation, he gets distracted ( and yet he never complained about it ). “We won’t be able to catch him so if we want to succeed in doing that, we should narrow his range of movement first. After that, it’s all a matter of chasing after him,” he trailed off and suddenly turning to Inuoka with a piercing stare that made the first-year jump, “Inuoka, you’re the most agile person in the team, right?”

“Thank you, Kenma-san! I am!”

“I think that anyone would be surprised the first time they witnessed a quick attack like that, I was surprised, too, but,” his already quiet voice became inaudible at the last word but rose his head slowly to weigh everyone’s eyes on him, “even if a game doesn’t seem to be clearable at first, after playing it over and over again, you can conquer it.”

Yukimi nearly giggled at the video game reference of Kenma. Despite the fact that they were in a match and the team needed something to boost them up, the setter will always find a way to slither his interests in his speeches — very much like Kuroo and his obsession with science, prompting the creation of their team motto.

“Their number nine and ten are just like the demon and his iron club,” Nekomata told them with a pragmatic stare. “First order of business, we’ll take away the demon’s iron club.”

“Osu!”

Looking at the scoreboard, Yukimi felt the agitation boiling in her chest at the sight of the three-point lead of Karasuno but as Kenma’s and Nekomata’s words resounded in her mind, the frustration ebbed and made way for a tiny glimmer of hope. That little spark of hope flared when she noticed that Inuoka finally caught up to the number ten’s pace, managing a one-touch. Yukimi vaguely heard Kenma before the last few minutes of the time-out; with the second-year saying that they should group their blockers on one side to make Shoyo ( as he calls number ten ) execute his quick attack on the empty side of the court, appointing Inuoka again to chase after the quick orange-haired boy. It seemed to work in Nekoma’s favor when Yaku received the ball from Inuoka’s one-touch.

“Even so, I don’t think there are so many people who would keep up with that number ten there,” Nekomata pointed out, catching the attention of Yukimi, who waited for the old coach to continue as she tilted her head to the side. “But if it’s someone, I’d wager Inuoka would be able to be on par with him, though, he plays without much intellectual thought in it but if he can do this one thing correctly…”

“He’d be able to shut down number ten,” Yukimi finished, never taking her focus off the match. “And it would be a great display of dominance and strength.”

Nekomata grinned. “Exactly.”

Yukimi then had a giddy smile on her face when Kenma did a feint that wasn’t saved by Karasuno’s libero, giving Nekoma a well-earned point. But in the next rally, Karasuno took back the point when the monster setter Nekoma talked about called for a toss from their libero, hitting a straight through Kuroo and Fukunaga.

“An all-round player, huh?” Yukimi muttered as Nekomata laughed. The short-haired girl then fixed her stare on Kenma, who was standing still beside the net. “Our setter’s pretty amazing, too, if you think about it.” The older coach hummed approvingly in response. “From the days I spent being Nekoma’s manager, Kenma doesn’t have a way with people that much so maybe that drove him into worrying about other people’s opinions, thus, he couldn’t help but watch them closely.”

“Kozume’s pretty skilled at reading other people,” Nekomata wistfully said. “He tends to predict their actions like ‘so-and-so is a such-and-such type of person, so he’ll probably move this or that way’. But that is not the core of our strength.”

As the match goes on in front of them, Yukimi perked up when Kuroo did a quick attack, tying the two teams up. As a force of habit, the Nekoma captain looked at their bench and when he saw that Yukimi was gazing at him with admiring eyes, he couldn’t help but give her a wink and a smile. Laughing lightly at Kuroo, Yukimi waved away the fluttering of her heart to think about Nekoma’s strength. From the way Nekoma’s players exuded stability in their receives ( which are returned high above Kenma’s head ), Yukimi smiled as it dawned at her.

“Connect,” she breathed.

“I see you figured it out, Yukimi,” Nekomata acknowledged. “I have a feeling that the number of points that Karasuno will accumulate, with shorty as the heart of their offense, is going to decrease. And it also looks like the opposing blockers are starting to think of it, too, so the number of tosses that shorty will get might decrease as well. Even without a superhuman ace or setter, all we have to do is modestly, carefully, pile up the points one at a time.”

The whistle echoed, announcing the end of the set, and Nekoma grabbed it with a fleeting score of 25-22.

* * *

“They’re treating it like some sort of training?” Yukimi voiced out in disbelief as she witnessed Shoyo’s ( she decided to acknowledge him by name because calling him number ten in her head seemed to unsettle her ) failed attempts in hitting the ball with his eyes open. Seeing as Inuoka managed to be a liability to the freak quick, Karasuno tried turning the tides in their favor by telling their setter to change the toss into something looser. The short-haired manager had her doubts about the freak quick when the setter didn’t put too much force in the tosses he sent the orange-haired middle blocker. But every time he would give the ball to Shoyo, there are scenarios where only the shorter boy’s fingertips would graze the ball.

Nekomata hummed with a pursed face. “I think,” he started. “They’re trying to make their shorty adjust to the monster setter’s new tosses. Judging from here, both of them are not doing so well.” The two watched as Shoyo once again expressed his frustration midair as the ball sailed past him, breaking their momentum. “But he reminded me of a certain someone back in the days.”

Yukimi turned to him inquiringly. “Is it someone from your previous lineups, coach?”

The old coach shook his head with a reminiscent smile. “It’s from Karasuno,” he told her. “I think you mentioned him a while back, Yukimi.”

The girl’s eyes slowly widened. “The Little Giant?” she guessed.

Nekomata nodded as a reply, his eyes fixated on the match. “He wasn’t much taller than that quick-footed middle blocker and the only time I saw him was when Karasuno first stood on the national court after so many years. I noticed that he would always jump so high and flick the ball right from the blockers’ fingertips, making him a notable wing spiker in the league. From there, Ukai told me something that greatly struck me.”

The girl looked at him expectantly.

“Because humans have no wings, they search for ways to fly.”

At that moment, Hinata switched into a cross, making the ball fly towards the side of the court. While Karasuno’s bench expressed their frustration at the out-of-bounds ball, Nekoma’s bench was a mix of emotions — disbelief that the middle blocker did such a reckless thing without any practice and amazement that he managed it without any difficulties. Yukimi couldn’t help but lean forward, her eyes glimmering in admiration. There was one thing that the manager always sided on and they were those people who were always underestimated yet handled with wariness — just like Shoyo. Because there was always something about small players in a game meant for tall people that made you want to root for them as well.

However, as the rallies progressed, the freak duo never made any successful attacks on Nekoma but that did not ebb away the sparking favor for Karasuno that Yukimi had. As Hinata once again failed another quick attack, Daichi swooped in and saved the ball with the same flexibility that Nekoma exhibited. That small spark in Yukimi’s chest teemed over the edge and was replaced with pride as she witnessed her childhood friend’s tenacity. With the ball weakly dropping into Nekoma’s side, Inuoka dove for it with a painful grunt while the rest of Nekoma shouted praises and approval for the first-years reflexes. Yukimi bit her lip in apprehension as Kenma called for Taketora to do a quick but was shut down by Karasuno’s three-man block.

Right when the ball was about to touch the ground, Kai dove to the ground to keep it in play, making Yukimi suck in a sharp breath. As much as Yukimi wished for Karasuno to take back the points they lost, being Nekoma’s manager meant she had to root for her team’s victory, too. And she nearly stood up in joy as Taketora managed a score with a spike that made Karasuno’s blockers grit their teeth.

“Taketora sure is livelier this set,” Yukimi breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the ace shout in pride.

Nekomata laughed. “It seems that Karasuno has someone similar to him, so maybe that’s why? Or maybe both offense and defense are being influenced by the battle between Inuoka and that shorty number ten.” The old coach’s smile then vanished as he looked on the ongoing rally with a calm ambiance. “Karasuno’s freak quick is something to be cautious about but seeing as it will always allow blockers to catch up to it, they will have to resort into normal quicks. But the problem lies in number ten — he doesn’t seem to be used to it yet. If he keeps practicing, honing the movements in his body and observing teamwork with that monster setter, and being able to combine both their freak quick with a normal one — they will no longer be a demon and his club, they will be a pair of demons.”

“And if that time comes,” Yukimi voiced out. “I don’t know how our team will be able to face that.”

The coach chuckled and patted Yukimi’s back affectionately. “Don’t worry, Yukimi, our team is a band of stubborn dimwits so expect something legendary _when_ that time comes because we will challenge them in a real match where everything’s over once the other loses.”

Yukimi smiled widely from Nekomata’s remark but her attention was caught by Hinata receiving a ball with his face. The short-haired girl stifled a laugh after the rowdy player of Karasuno spiked the ball, because the same guy and libero chanted while lifting their arms frantically, prompting some reaction from Nekoma’s ace. “It also seems that Taketora and Shoyo are not the only players with lively attitudes,” she snickered at the silly sight.

When the next rallies proved to be a milestone for both Inuoka and the orange-haired middle blocker ( showing everybody how worthy they are of being rivals ), with the latter scoring after an intense rally and the former chasing him down, Yukimi’s eyes drifted towards Kuroo, who was staring from the back of the court with a calm demeanor. Her gaze never left him as the rotation changes which moved him in vanguard position, right before the freak duo.

It seems like Kuroo provoked Shoyo since the ginger-haired boy flinched, shouting a shaky retort back at the tall lad. As the messy-haired captain spread his arms and dropped slightly on his knees, his head shifted to the side to fix his hooded eyes on Yukimi. The intensity of his stare caused Yukimi’s heart to pound, making her stare back at him with parted lips. Thinking that she probably looked like an idiot, she shook her head slightly and decided to give Kuroo one of her encouraging smiles. Kuroo seemed to be shaken from her action, making him miss the short middle blocker’s quick attack.

Nekomata noticed and let out an amused laugh. “You’re amazing, Yukimi,” he praised, making the said girl glance at him questioningly. “You just made our prized blocker falter!”

The girl weighed the remark as a slight insult. “I’m sorry, coach,” she apologized, slightly bowing.

“No, no!” Nekomata retaliated. “It’s not meant to reprimand you. I was merely commending you because it’s the first time I saw him like that!”

 _Like that made it helpful_. “Oh.”

Meanwhile, on the court, Kenma scrutinized Kuroo. “Did Yukimi-san fluster you again?” he asked, phrasing it as a statement rather than a question.

Kuroo flinched a little, turning to his teammates with a raised hand as an apology and ignoring Kenma’s remark. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t react at all,” he laughed, then glancing at Kenma. “She didn’t distract me.” _Damn, that smile. Play it cool._ “They really are amazing, huh? Guys like that should be considered superhuman. Okay, then,” he flashed a smirk, “how about we take back that point?”

As Kuroo made Nekoma get to twenty points with his ‘A’ quick and personal time difference attack, Yukimi was awestruck. The boy who told her she holds so many talents with such a humble expression is such a powerhouse in volleyball and it baffled her that a person so skillful even praised her. As Kuroo once again looked at her with a proud glint in his eyes, she couldn’t help but think that he is such an amazing person, on and off-court. It made her heart clench for no reason.

“Fuhoho?” Nekomata chuckled darkly beside her, making Yukimi break away from Kuroo’s stare. “Ukai’s grandson is such a greenhorn, I can sense his impatience from over here.” His voice was loud that Yukimi questioned if he was talking to her or intentionally provoking Karasuno’s coach.

“Coach,” she called out, sweatdropping at the coaches’ interaction.

“Okay, okay, Yukimi,” the old coach laughed. “I’ll be on my best behavior now.”

As the minutes ticked by, Karasuno managed to hit twenty points as well, with Nekoma in a two-point lead. This prompted Nekomata to call for the team’s first time-out in the second set. As he advised the players to never display any impatience and to solidify their connections more, Kuroo composed himself as he stood beside the seated Yukimi. As the girl scribbled something on her notebook, Kuroo stayed for a few seconds as the others dispersed to make their way back at the court.

“Oi.”

Yukimi looked up but was met with Kuroo’s smiling face, his hand patting her head tenderly. Brushing off her fast heartbeat, she rose an eyebrow at the tall lad. “What? Time-out’s over, you should be over there with them.”

“Just recharging myself before winning this practice match,” Kuroo replied with a grin, masking the pounding of his chest rather well. He stopped patting her hair, trailing his hand down and giving her an affectionate flick on the forehead, snickering while doing so. “There, fully recharged.” He turned around and stretched his arm as he made his way to the court, leaving behind a blinking Yukimi.

“That rooster-headed idiot.”

With furrowed brows, Yukimi and Nekomata stayed quiet as both teams built up points with excruciating rallies. After what seemed to be agonizing minutes, Yukimi was at the edge of her chair upon seeing that Nekoma was at match point. With the thought that they could still catch up and secure their win over the set, Karasuno passed the ball to their ace several times in the rally, with Hinata taking the last hit. She faintly heard Nekomata mumbling something under his breath while she watched on with wide eyes as every player of Nekoma never let the ball touch the ground. Finally, Kenma gritted his teeth, probably regretting diving down on the hardwood paneling of the floor, as he swerved the ball over the net and over Karasuno’s shocked faces.

“Being able to hit powerful spikes isn’t what grants you victory. The team that drops the ball loses. That is what it means to ‘connect’.”

The end of the match was announced by the whistle, with a set count of two against zero. Metropolitan Nekoma High is the victor of this year’s ‘Battle of the Trash Heap’.


	10. BONDS.

Three full matches later and both Karasuno and Nekoma were either sprawled on the floor or panting with hands on their knees. Morning turned into late afternoon as both teams struggle to catch up with their breathing while the teams’ coaches and managers laughed at their situation. As Yukimi noted the scores on each set, Hinata stood up and shouted that he needs another match. With her eyebrow twitching in disbelief, the short-haired manager stared incredulously at the small middle blocker, who was being shaken by their head coach.

Nekomata choked from Hinata’s remark. “What are you saying?!” he shouted in return. “Your movements are all messed up! Is your stamina limitless?!”

Yukimi gave a full-blown laugh from beside the old coach as Hinata was lifted off the ground by their coach, who was scolding the first-year about Nekoma missing the Shinkansen. To think about it, the short-haired girl felt her limbs ache from sitting for many hours so she opted in stretching her arms out. Upon feeling the cold air of the gymnasium touch the exposed sliver of skin, Yukimi widened her eyes when a sweaty Kuroo marched over to pull her shirt from riding up. The tall lad silently regarded her with narrowed eyes as he chose to stand beside the sitting manager. Flashing an apologetic smile, Yukimi thanked him while he grunted at the stares the pretty girl gained.

“If you want to play against us again, do it in a regular game,” Nekomata announced, standing up from his seat. “Let’s meet in the national stage before loads of spectators, in a place brimming with all sorts of emotions, in an enormous gymnasium that sparkles and gleams, and have the greatest ‘Battle of the Trash Heap’ anyone’s ever seen.” The old coach finished it with a grin that spurred on the spirits of every player inside the training center.

“Osu!”

“Huddle!” Kuroo and Daichi shouted simultaneously, the teams exchanging positions to listen to the opposite coaches’ guidance.

Yukimi and the two coaches of Nekoma stood up from the bench now that Karasuno stood with straight backs, waiting for the head coach’s reflection on the practice match. The short-haired girl caught the eye of Daichi, who flashed her a kind smile as Nekomata cleared his throat to start speaking.

“His grandfather and I are old acquaintances,” Nekomata stated, looking over at Ukai, who was praising Nekoma’s team with a large smile. “We did a lot of practice matches together back in the days. They were all good matches, every single one of them. However, he called and told me that he planned to retire.” He lightly chuckled, shaking his head. “But a good rival is hard to find. Old man Ukai recently made a comeback but collapsed soon thereafter, and I was afraid that was it for Karasuno.” Nekomata’s solemn façade turned into a close-eyed smile as he continued, “Frankly, your abilities exceeded my expectations — especially in offense; there probably won’t be many people who can stop number nine and ten from their quick attack.”

Hinata and Kageyama swelled in pride, their cheeks tinted a slight hue of red.

“And you two on the left, you both are powerful weapons. All that’s left is to figure out how to connect, I guess.”

“Yes!”

“Anyway, as a team, you’re all still rough-hewn and lacking in training but you have an overwhelming amount of potential. The more you train, the stronger you’ll become. You guys make me happy.” He stopped for a moment to look at his team, who noticed their old coach’s speech to their rivals. “It’s safe to say that we finally have a good rival again. Let’s meet again in the nationals.”

“Thank you!”

“You really sparked them with your speech, coach,” Yukimi voiced out with a smile.

“I got a little carried away, though, Yukimi,” Nekomata replied with a laugh. “So how about it? How does it feel traveling all the way here to witness the team’s caliber in volleyball?”

Yukimi smiled serenely. “I think it sparked something in me, too, coach,” she answered, grinning so widely that the two coaches chuckled at her enthusiasm. “And I’m looking forward to the team’s participation in official matches.”

“That’s the spirit, Yukimi!” Nekomata exclaimed with a grin.

The manager then excused herself to fill the water bottles with Kiyoko, their conversation just as lively at their first interaction. The two talked about the practice match, their club members, experiences with them so far, and the fact that they needed female company every once in a while in their life ( being surrounded by too much testosterone can be quite disconcerting ). While they were enjoying their time together, the two teams tidied up the gym.

While Hinata and Kageyama bickered in the middle of the court and Kenma took it upon himself to pick up the stray balls lingering on the floor, both Taketora and Tanaka had one thing in mind — to approach each other and ask the names of each other’s female managers. Tanaka was inside the supply room, thinking deeply of various ways in calling over the city ( shitty ) boy he was recently acquainted with, as Taketora went inside to confront him. The latter schooled his features into a murderous expression, one that greatly terrified some of his schoolmates and the reason for acquiring the nickname ‘gangster’ and ‘delinquent’ in Nekoma.

“Oi,” Taketora called out to Tanaka, who jolted from placing the pole he was assigned to return. Turning around, he rose an eyebrow at the determined visage Taketora sported. Derailed from his perch, Tanaka contemplated questions in his mind regarding Nekoma’s beautiful manager, phrasing them in a less rude manner and causing the silence to stretch on for a few seconds.

“Uhm,” both of them uttered at the same time, making the two of them fumble for words, with Taketora waving his arms and forming incoherent syllables and Tanaka scratching his head as he created inaudible sounds that were akin to a crow. “You first.” Once again, they spoke simultaneously. “Okay.” Both of them taking a deep breath, they practically shouted their concerns at each other. “What’s the name of your female manager?”

Outside, by the water dispensers, Kiyoko sneezed loudly, making Yukimi turn to her in concern. “Are you alright, Shimizu-san?” she asked but quickly trailed off when she sneezed as well. The bespectacled girl looked at her with wide eyes, making the short-haired girl look back at her with bewildered ones. The two of them then laughed at the impeccable timing of their supposed sensitive noses, their duty of filling up the water bottles forgotten for a second.

“You bastard!” Tanaka shouted in Taketora’s face, taking the latter’s collar harshly. “You plan on bothering our precious manager, huh?!”

“Like you’re one to talk!” Taketora screamed back. “You hypocrite! Like hell, I’m going to make you come in a three-meter radius with our goddess!”

“I’m going to rub your fuzzy head so hard!”

“And I’m definitely going to shine that bald head of yours!”

“Wait,” Tanaka calmed down, his grip on Taketora’s collar loosened as he looked on the ground with blank and unfocused eyes. “Speaking of your pretty manager, I don’t know how to approach her.”

Taketora stayed quiet as he stared into space, registering Tanaka’s comment. “Same for me, I do not have the courage to talk to your manager as well.”

The two of them were ensconced in a blanket of silence that Kuroo’s shouts from the court could be heard from inside the supply room. Both of them looked at the ground in shame, with shadows clouding over the upper halves of their faces. Once again, they spoke at the same time.

“Kiyoko-san.”

“Yukimi-senpai.”

Their heads lifted immediately, their faces showing hope in their smiles.

Tanaka grinned. “Our manager’s name is Shimizu Kiyoko-san.”

“Ours is Kazahana Yukimi — we call her _kirei_ -senpai,” Taketora replied with a proud smile, his hands clutched in front of him as he uttered their manager’s name. “Your manager is the embodiment of that name. Such a fitting name for a beauty!”

Tanaka nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. “It does, it really does,” he agreed, then with sparkles in his eyes, smiled at Taketora. “Ah, such a beautiful name your manager has! So perfect for a delicate person like her!”

“That’s the first thought I had in mind when I was a first-year!”

“Same goes for me here with Kiyoko-san!” Tanaka snickered, his expression then shifting into seriousness. “You know, getting ignored by Kiyoko-san while you attempt to talk to her, it’s still pretty good.”

“That hurdle is still a little too high for me, so no!” Taketora remarked, shaking his hands in front of him. The Mohawk-haired boy’s face contorted into blankness for a moment. “Talking to _kirei-_ senpai came naturally because she talked to us first and it feels really good to be acknowledged by such a mighty and fine lady like her. She won’t ignore you at all!”

Tanaka expressed his awe. “You’re a pretty decent guy, aren’t you?”

“You, too,” Taketora replied. “I’m Yamamoto Taketora.”

“Tanaka Ryuunosuke!”

“Next time, let’s meet in the nationals!”

Outside the supply room, Kenma was fidgeting with his fingers while waiting for Yukimi to enter the gymnasium so that his uneasiness will be erased by her presence. The cause of his discomfort was standing a few feet away, muttering things akin to a ritual while training his blueberry gaze on him. Noticing that their team’s manager stepped foot in the gymnasium beside Karasuno’s manager, Kenma quickly jogged towards her with his head down, fleeing from the curious Kageyama who jumped when Kenma escaped his questioning ( interrogation ).

As Yukimi said her goodbyes to Kiyoko, the short-haired girl was shocked when Kenma went behind her back in an attempt to hide. With the cooler filled with water bottles slung over her arm, Yukimi looked over her shoulder and regarded Kenma with raised eyebrows. “Kenma?” she inquired, receiving a hum in response from the second-year. Feeling the setter’s hand clutch the end of her red jacket, Yukimi smiled at the shyness her friend displayed. “Come on, follow me to that side of the court. I’ll just place the cooler there.”

Kenma followed her to the edge of the gymnasium, with the boy sliding down to sit on the floor as a way for him to guard Nekoma’s cooler. Seeing as the timid setter continued fidgeting with his fingers and resting his eyes anywhere at the court restlessly, Yukimi opened her bag a few feet away from where Kenma sat and fish out her phone. Knowing that she installed some games in her gadget as a form of entertainment and recreational activity during study breaks, she could only hope that Kenma liked to play some survival and adventure games, with a mix of rhythm games here and there.

“Here, Kenma,” Yukimi told him gently, handing him her phone. The boy looked up at her with wide eyes as he hesitantly took the phone from her hand. “To keep you entertained while sitting here. It doesn’t have a passcode so you can access it easily and the games can be located in the entertainment folder.” Standing up straight, Yukimi once again smiled at the stunned expression on Kenma’s face.

Opening her phone, Kenma immediately clicked on one of the rhythm games she installed since he doesn’t want to drain his senior’s battery from playing an RPG game he spotted in the folder. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he realized that the games she had on her phone were all games he always placed his time and effort on. As his heart warmed, his fingers expertly flitted over the keys appearing on the screen with a minute smile on his face. Once again, Yukimi thawed his supposed to be blank exterior with just a snap of a finger, giving her a place in the crevices of his small chest.

With Kenma preoccupied, Yukimi roamed her eyes on the gymnasium and occasionally let out a laugh when she witnessed some interaction between some members of Nekoma and Karasuno, like how Inuoka and Hinata jumped while emitting sounds that Yukimi thought weren’t human at all and how Taketora and Tanaka shed some tears together while pointing at Kiyoko. Still fixing her eyes on the odd duos, she didn’t notice Kuroo walking in her direction with a smug smile. The tall lad once again flicked her forehead once he stood in front of her, finally gaining her attention. The short girl huffed and glared at Kuroo, who only laughed at her adorable pouting.

“First, you let Kenma borrow your charger and now you let him borrow your phone?” Kuroo stated while glancing at the engrossed setter trying to perfect the song in the rhythm game. “Next thing I know, you’ll be buying him gaming consoles next week.”

Yukimi chuckled under her breath. “What can I say,” she shrugged, giving Kenma a soft gaze over her shoulder. “I have a soft spot for Kenma.”

Ever since Kuroo moved to Tokyo and befriended Kenma when he was young, he would often hear some comments regarding his younger friend, especially from the girls who confessed to him. One of the many reasons he rejected those flocking girls was that they never looked at Kenma like he was also human, all they viewed was that Kenma appeared like a freak with his long hair and solemn and blank expression. But when Yukimi came to Nekoma, it was established that she caught his attention more than the others; the most special thing is that she was always kind to Kenma and even had the second-year’s approval when Kuroo told him he finally found someone worth it.

It made Kuroo smile, his eyes dripping with affection and adoration for the girl.

“Damn, Hana,” he muttered, careful to not let Yukimi hear his words. “You don’t have to make me fall in love with you even more.”

Yukimi looked at him. “Did you say something, Kuroo?” she asked.

The tall lad shook his head with a smile, reaching his arm out to ruffle Yukimi’s hair. “Nothing,” he replied. “You’ll find it out eventually.”

From the other side of the court, Inuoka and Hinata stopped jumping around and started staring at Kuroo and Yukimi. Hinata has always been curious about the two ever since they found Kenma. From the actions Nekoma’s captain displayed, the ginger-haired middle blocker felt that something is certainly brewing between the two third-years. He definitely saw Kuroo patting their manager’s hair during one of the time-outs in the second set of their first match. And he definitely saw the messy-haired captain fix the pretty girl’s shirt ( he admitted that he was one of the few who full-on blushed when Yukimi’s shirt rode up ).

“Hey, Inuoka-san,” Hinata absentmindedly called out to his fellow first-year. “Is your captain dating your manager?”

Inuoka glanced at Hinata from the corner of his eyes. “I don’t even know, Hinata-san,” the lanky middle blocker replied, scratching the nape of his neck. “I just joined the volleyball club at the start of the year and I’ve never seen _kirei-_ senpai the first few weeks I was practicing. And I also asked Yaku-san if she’s always been the manager of our club but he answered that she joined different ones and that she never talked to any of my teammates before, well except for Kuroo-san and Yaku-san since they’re in the same class. So I guess, they’re not dating.”

Hinata hummed in disbelief. “So that means what I saw was nothing, huh?” the ginger-haired first-year shrugged. “By the way, you call your manager _kirei_ -senpai?”

The taller boy nodded frantically. “Yeah!” he exclaimed proudly. “Well, we don’t have to explain that one because the proof is right there!”

“Wah,” Hinata awed, his cheeks warm as he stared on ahead at Yukimi, who was still engaged in a conversation with Kuroo. “She really is _kirei_ -senpai.”

“Right?!”

At that exact moment, Yukimi caught their stares, eyes widening slightly at the attention the two first-years were giving her. Easing any sign of discomfort from her face, she gave both of them a warm smile and a little wave. Kuroo noticed that Yukimi’s amused eyes were fixated behind him, cutting their conversation short. The tall lad begrudgingly looked at where she was looking and nearly laughed out loud at the red faces of Hinata and Inuoka. He definitely knows what they’re feeling at the moment because who wouldn’t be flustered at the smile of a pretty girl like Yukimi. Turning back to the girl in front of him, he decided to paint a teasing smile on his face.

“I think you broke them, Hana. Man, we should place some sort of biohazard warning on you now that there’s proof of you breaking other boys’ fuses.”

“I did not ask for any of this to happen, Kuroo.”

Kuroo faked a gasp. “I see, you’re getting this to your head. We all know you’re stunningly beautiful, Hana. You don’t have to say it straight into my face.”

“Kuroo, that’s not what I meant!”

“Whatever you say, Hana.”

“Kuroo!”

“I must leave the goddess in peace.”

“What — get back here and stop laughing!”

* * *

Once Yukimi was left to her devices ( Kuroo went back to help put back the remaining equipment and Kenma continued playing on her phone, his expression now exposed his disapproval at losing a few levels ), chose to approach Daichi, who was seen talking to Kai. The moment Kai excused himself to help Kuroo, Daichi immediately spotted his childhood friend and waved her over with a large smile. Feeling the sense of nostalgia encompass her chest at the sight of her friend, Yukimi went over to Daichi and spread her arms in an indication of another hug.

Daichi especially liked it when Yukimi would hug him out of the blue when they were in primary and middle school ( though he had to train himself not to be affected at the jeering of his classmates when Yukimi hugged him in the hallways of their school during junior high ). It made his gut clench in an array of emotions that he never hesitated in showering on the girl, making sure that she gets her own dosage of affection and care every single day while growing up. Having no other children at that time, Daichi’s family adopted Yukimi as their own when the boy opted in introducing her to his family during the start of primary school.

He couldn’t deny that during his stay in Karasuno High School, he always craved for her presence to quench the longing he felt.

However, there was another thing that Yukimi always did to him that slipped his mind. And as Yukimi closed his distance, he stared at her intently with a wary gaze because the smile on her face screamed something else.

His instincts were always correct when Yukimi slapped him on the back, the smack and his sputter resounding through the gymnasium.

“Oof!” Daichi exclaimed, doubling over before laying his eyes on the culprit who laughed at him. “What are you thinking in that little head of yours, Yuki-chan?! We haven’t met in three years and this how you treat me? How blasphemous! What happened to the Yuki-chan who hugged me before the practice match?!”

Yukimi stopped laughing and faced Daichi with a heartfelt smile. “I miss doing that,” she sighed.

“You miss torturing me with that heavy hand of yours?!” he comically cried out as he tried not to pay attention to the pulsing pain on his back. “Oh, God, it hurts!”

“I thought you already got used to it,” Yukimi told him with a hand covering her mouth as she stared at him teasingly.

“Yeah, when we were in middle school! Three years without this definitely took a toll on me!”

Yukimi snickered from behind her hand. “I have to admit, I got you good.”

Yukimi calmed herself down while Daichi recovered from her jab. As she waited for the boy to straighten himself, her eyes gravitated towards the eccentric Karasuno team playing around on the other side of the court, well the members playing around were known to be Hinata and Tanaka. Sugawara, the ash-gray haired friend of Daichi, was reassuring Yaku to keep his head down and to never meet Nishinoya’s piercing gaze. What concerned her was the sight of Azumane, Karasuno’s ace, under a misunderstanding with Shibayama, the latter boy continued bowing in front of him. She nearly treads her way towards the pair but Daichi’s voice stopped her.

“Now, I feel better,” he casually said as he stood up, his eyes set in a playful glare on her. Daichi followed her gaze and immediately chuckled when he caught her looking at his club members. “I’m apologizing in advance if my team ever bothers you, Yuki-chan. Though by the looks of it, Tanaka and one of your team members took a liking to both you and Shimizu. Seeing you and Shimizu, I don’t blame them but they should work on being less obvious about it.”

Yukimi couldn’t help but laugh. “You got a great team in your hands, Daichi,” she told him with a smile. “The practice match earlier was intense that I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”

“If it were a real match, we would lose to your team in an instant,” Daichi replied, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile on his face. “Nekoma really is a high-caliber team, no doubt about that. I’m surprised you never talk about them with me over the phone, Yuki-chan.”

“You know me, Daichi,” Yukimi huffed. “I joined different clubs the previous years so the volleyball club never crossed my priorities and you also know that I joined contests that overlapped with the tournaments. I only saw them play volleyball the first day I became their manager. And by the way, I would never disclose classified information about my team to you, Daichi, even if you’re an important person in my life.”

Daichi chuckled. “I wouldn’t even ask you for any information about Nekoma, Yuki-chan. I’d focus my time on being a captain to my own volleyball team rather than meddling and feeding on information about another.”

“Such a reliable captain Karasuno has,” Yukimi teased.

“Your captain is one of a kind, too,” Daichi laughed shakily, remembering how Kuroo gripped on his hand during the handshake at the start of the practice game. “Hinata was babbling earlier about how he looked scary and cool when he blocks.” Speaking of Nekoma’s captain, Daichi felt another pair of eyes drill into his head. He looked over Yukimi’s head and nearly jumped out of his skin when Kuroo’s droopy gaze and scowl were fixed in their direction. “Say, Yuki-chan, is something going on between you and Nekoma’s captain?”

Yukimi rose an eyebrow at the sudden question. This wasn’t new since that day she and Kuroo arrived at their classroom together. Having nosy and assuming classmates, she was instantly bombarded with interrogations as to when they started dating or when did Kuroo show any interest in her. Like any other curious person, she answered Daichi with the same answer. “No, Daichi.” She laughed at his face of disbelief. “You’re not the only one asking me that. Ever since I became their manager, people started doubting.”

“Well, one would think the two of you have something because clearly there’s _something_ in his actions to you,” Daichi pointed out. “Like right now, he looks ready to kill me.”

“If he kills you, he’ll have to get to me first.”

“Thank you for the assurance, Yuki-chan, but as much as I respected that guy, I’m starting to fear for my life.”

“Nonsense!” Yukimi shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “Nobody is killing anybody today. And for the record, I don’t think I’ll ever develop any sort of relationship with Kuroo, I have someone I like and I’m contented with that.”

“We’ll just wait and see, Yuki-chan,” Daichi hummed with a smirk.

Truth be told, Daichi was relieved to know that Yukimi found herself in a group of kind people. Now that the girl gained some friends, Daichi figured that having a relationship will soon come after. Who better person to be in a relationship with her than the peering person from the other side of the court? Daichi shed some respect for Nekoma’s captain and he observed that the middle blocker is a pretty nice guy. And from what he can see, Kuroo definitely garnered some feelings for his childhood friend. He wasn’t blind and he certainly wasn’t born yesterday to understand Kuroo’s eyes. When you grew up with a beauty like Yukimi, you would eventually notice if she enraptured someone, and Kuroo was not an exception.

“Well, you mentioned about liking someone,” Daichi noted, raising an eyebrow at Yukimi teasingly. “How about telling your best friend that information instead.”

Yukimi felt her face heat up and her mind to buffer upon Daichi’s change of subject. She felt the weighing stare of inquisitiveness of her best friend that she couldn’t help but inform him of her feelings for Romio. “He’s my classmate,” she answered him, never meeting his eyes. “He’s okay, I guess.”

“Okay for you to like?”

“Okay for a person, smartass,” Yukimi huffed. Then, her scowl turned into a sad smile. “He won’t like me back, though.”

“What?” Daichi exclaimed, blinking. “Does he like someone else?”

The short-haired girl shook her head. “He’s just not ready yet. Well, I understand him completely because I wasn’t looking for any committed relationship in the last year of high school. I have to focus on graduating, you know? But what hurts me is that when he confessed, he told me he regretted liking me.” She laughed halfheartedly chuckled. “It made me shed a few tears.”

“A few?” Daichi crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his stare with Yukimi’s. “From what you told me, it sounds like he doesn’t care about your feelings at all! Why do you still like him?”

“I don’t know,” Yukimi shrugged. “Maybe because I’m an idiot for thinking that he can like me back.”

Daichi loosened his tense posture and softened his face. He was angry at the person responsible for making Yukimi this miserable. “You’re not an idiot, Yuki-chan,” he reasoned out. “If someone’s an idiot here it would be — Tanaka!”

“Tanaka?”

Perplexed at the name Daichi mentioned, Yukimi stared at him in disbelief. However, Daichi’s eyes weren’t on her, they were situated at something behind her back. Following the boy’s gaze, she turned around and stared at a brewing fight. It was between the bald wing spiker of Karasuno and their very own blonde middle blocker. Tanaka was being reprimanded by Ennoshita while Tsukishima laughed from behind his hand, probably teasing the second-year on his fascination with the managers present in the gymnasium.

Yukimi couldn’t help but laugh, gaining the attention of the people near them. Tanaka jolted from his spot, his struggling from Ennoshita’s hold ceased as he listened to Yukimi’s laughter. He turned his head to look at her but his face became a bright shade of red when her eyes were on their group. The others were confused at the change of behavior from their boisterous friend and also looked at the direction of Yukimi and Daichi. There was a wide array of reactions — Tsukishima was intrigued at the girl but never showed any sign on his face, Yamaguchi was jaw-slacked that Nekoma’s pretty manager noticed them, Ennoshita waved with a smile, and Nishinoya shouted while pointing at Yukimi.

“The pretty Nekoma manager is looking at us!” The libero screamed, his eyes shimmering. “Ah, now she’s waving at us!” Nishinoya then proceeded to wave enthusiastically, causing Yukimi to laugh harder.

“Your team really is an exciting bunch,” Yukimi noted after sobering from a fit of laughter. Turning back to Daichi, she once again laughed at the dark expression her friend wore. “Now you’re the one looking ready to kill them. Soften up, they’re just having fun.”

“They’ll be ready once we go back to our gym. I think I have to double their drills.”

“Scary.”

* * *

After tidying up the gymnasium and retrieving their things from their lodging area, the entire Nekoma volleyball club once again lined up in front of Karasuno. The former was ready to leave but not before another round of farewells and ‘we’ll definitely see you again in the nationals’ with the orange sky painted above them. Their Shinkansen departure was only in less than an hour so they had to hurry up with their goodbyes to catch up to their ride.

While Tanaka and Taketora shared another heartfelt moment ( eyes tearing up at the connection they shared from gushing over both managers ), Yukimi decided to bid Shimizu a goodbye. With reciprocating smiles, the two girls exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch with each other. This earned another round of wailing from Tanaka and Taketora, no doubt seeing the two girls with flowers and sparkles in the background. Smiling widely, Yukimi went back to stand beside Kenma with a contented air around her.

This trip surely became of the happiest days she experienced.

“What’s with them?” Kenma incredulously asked no one in particular as he pointed to Tanaka and Taketora, who were still engaged in a crying fest.

Kuroo side-eyed the pair with an indifferent ( yet slightly concerned ) stare. “No clue. It’s quite unusual.”

The messy-haired captain looked forward when he heard someone approaching him. There in front of him was the captain of Karasuno and just the sight of him made Kuroo’s stomach churn as he recounted his moment with Yukimi. They looked so happy earlier that Kuroo nearly want to pull his hair out. His mind was still in a frenzy because there was always something about childhood friends that would raise a red flag. Because childhood friends will always be one heck of a rival in a soap-opera or shoujo manga and Kuroo doesn’t want Daichi to add to his list. Schooling his distaste into a faux smile, Kuroo gave out a small chuckle as he offered a handshake.

Daichi returned Kuroo’s fake smile and accepted his handshake. With both of them gritting their teeth at the tight grips, Daichi remarked, “We won’t lose next time.”

“We won’t lose next time, either,” Kuroo replied, his voice laced with an underlying jab.

“Terrifying! You’re both terrifying!” Yaku and Sugawara shouted from the side.

“Now, what’s with _them_?” Kenma once again asked, his eyes blankly registering the two captains threatening each other.

“It’s best if you don’t look at them, Kenma,” Yukimi deadpanned.

From behind them, two coaches were also engaged in the same predicament.

“The next time around, things won’t go your way like they did today,” Ukai growled at Naoi.

“Fine. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good practice,” Naoi replied, his lips curled evilly.

“And them over here, too!” Sugarawa sputtered.

“They’re so immature!” Yaku cried.

“Kenma!”

Yukimi and Kenma turned around at the voice of Hinata, making the ginger-haired boy freeze a second at the girl’s eyes on him.

“Shoyo,” Kenma acknowledged.

Shaking his head, the shorter boy looked at Kenma with leveled eyes. “When we talked in the street the other day, you said you didn’t particularly like volleyball, right?” Hinata inquired.

Kenma nodded slightly, his head looking down and never meeting Hinata’s hazel gaze.

“How did it feel to win today?”

At this, the second-year settled his eyes on Hinata. “Sort of … normal,” Kenma trailed off, breaking his gaze with the middle blocker.

Hinata looked at Kenma with downturned brows. He clenched his fists and spoke in a determined tone, catching Kenma’s attention again. “Next time, we’ll win … and we’ll make you say ‘It’s frustrating!’ or ‘That was fun!’ instead of just ‘Sort of’!”

Kenma blinked at Hinata’s outburst but quickly gave a small smile. “Well, I’m looking forward to it, Shoyo.”

When the orange-haired boy went back to his team, Kenma turned around to meet with Yukimi’s fond smile. The boy’s eyes widened slightly at the softness of the manager’s eyes. “What is it, Yukimi-san?” he asked, his eyes stayed locked with Yukimi’s.

Yukimi shook her head with a smile. “It’s just endearing to see you make friends, Kenma,” she replied.

The younger boy only smiled and followed her to their waiting club members. Stopping beside Kuroo, Yukimi turned around and waved goodbye to Daichi and his team. Catching Daichi’s eyes, the girl’s smile turned into a grin as she waved enthusiastically with the boy returning her energy.

When the Nekoma volleyball club made their way to catch their train, Yukimi felt a large hand gently placed on the small of her back. She looked up at Kuroo, who was walking nonchalantly with half-lidded eyes. Feeling safe with him beside her, Yukimi stepped a little closer to Kuroo with a small smile. Probably sensing that Yukimi’s side was now lightly pressed against his, Kuroo trailed his hand from her back to her waist.

The moment Kuroo’s hand was transferred to her waist, Yukimi’s eyes widened and she gripped the strap of her bag. The tall lad’s actions made her feel something that Romio hadn’t made her feel in a long time.

It made her heart race.


	11. OPEN AND SUBTLE DECLARATIONS.

Stepping through the hallways of Nekoma High, Yukimi felt exhausted at the amount of work and responsibility now on her plate. With midterms looming in, her workload has terribly increased.

It was lunchtime and she just finished her bento in the comfort of nature rather than inside a stuffy and loud classroom, where every chair seemed to block a path. Letting out a sigh, Yukimi remembered declining Kuroo’s invitation to join him and the volleyball club members to lunch every single day. She already had her fair share of seeing them every crack of dawn and afternoon and she doesn’t want them to disrupt her period of isolation every lunch.

It was a full week since the practice match with Karasuno and the aftermaths still lingered every time she recounted the events. Yukimi and Shimizu still exchanged messages every other day, which greatly made her happy, seeing as the former was a timid girl. They talked about their struggles with being a manager of their clubs and even putting personal things in the conversation — like how Shimizu planned to surprise her club by cleaning their old team banner and how Yukimi juggled her schoolwork while taming her own club members. Aside from Shimizu, Daichi also sent some messages her way — mostly some reminders to always watch out for her health or to take some rest after a long day in school. It made her miss his nagging whenever she appeared too gaunt in their junior high.

Speaking of Daichi, Yukimi’s mother was over the roof when she informed that she finally crossed paths with her childhood friend. Natsumi even suggested inviting over the boy sometimes or if they ever set foot in Tokyo. Yukimi figured that it would make her mother excited since Daichi was also an honorary member of their family, just like how she became one in Daichi’s family. But she couldn’t promise her mother such a thing because Karasuno would have to acquire a practice match with a team in Tokyo or to be qualified for nationals to do that.

Now reaching her classroom, Yukimi slid the door open and made her way to her desk. To her surprise, Kuroo and Yaku invited Kai over to have lunch, with the captain’s desk too crowded for the three of them. They always eat lunch in the cafeteria or in one of the benches under the tree canopies where she always had her lunch. So when the three boys looked at her with mouths full of food, she couldn’t help but purse her lips in disapproval. For heaven’s sake, Kuroo had some sauce on the corners of his lips and it made him look like a child. Sighing at the sight, Yukimi marched over in front of the messy-haired boy and took out a paper napkin from her pocket.

“You look ridiculous, Kuroo,” Yukimi told him, leaning down to properly wipe Kuroo’s mouth with the paper napkin. Kuroo was taken aback as Yukimi carefully erased the curry sauce on his mouth, his eyes never leaving her face. “There.” Smiling as she straightened up, Yukimi walked to her desk and decided to read another book to spare the time.

Left speechless at the close proximity with his crush, Kuroo tried containing the butterflies in his stomach as he covered his face with his hand, hiding the fact that the blush was already spreading to his ears. Hearing the laughter from his two friends, Kuroo glared at them silently while trying to calm himself down.

“Look at him!” Yaku whispered, his chuckles escaping his mouth. The libero wiped some fake tears from the corners of his eyes as he calmed down, but he once again erupted in another bout of laughter when Kuroo’s face never paled. “You look like our jersey, man!”

“Shut up, Yakkun!” Kuroo shouted, his face still red. The messy-haired boy tried for a leer to intimidate Yaku but the latter only clutched his stomach at how ridiculous his friend looked, with his face still in a blush. “Kai, help me!” The said boy only laughed quietly beside him, making Kuroo groan in disbelief.

“Uhm, excuse me. Is Kazahana Yukimi-senpai here?”

A tentative yet loud voice interrupted in the entrance of the classroom, ceasing every movement in the room as the third-years looked on to the door. Confused, the students eventually concluded various things from the statement — does it have something to do with Yukimi being a star student that she had to tutor a lower year? Is it because the faculty once again needed her to be a representative of the school again and they sent this first-year to fetch her? Or better yet, is it a confession? The last assumption earned quite a reaction as Yukimi stood up calmly from her seat to talk to the student at the door.

Kuroo blinked with a blank face, not registering what transpired a few seconds ago. A boy asked for Yukimi? Well, this wasn’t an unusual situation, seeing as Yukimi was dubbed as the golden girl of Nekoma and everybody wanted to be with her. There are some occasions where Kuroo would overhear some boys talking to themselves about their plans on confessing to the radiant Kazahana Yukimi, only to end up being rejected by the aforementioned girl. Once a week — that’s the number of times Yukimi will get confessions ( not that Kuroo noticed ). The reason for the lack of confessions even though she was such a beautiful girl was that Yukimi would deliberately reject all those date invitations, making everyone feel discouraged.

However, the boy at the door looked like he was one of those brave souls.

Meanwhile, Yukimi choked when the underclassman waiting for her towered everyone with his six-foot height. He was even taller than Kuroo. It seems like she wasn’t the only one who was gawking at the boy, who was clearly nervous to finally face her, because every single passerby openly stared in disbelief at the first-year. She vaguely remembered hearing something about the foreigner freshman during the opening ceremony. And judging from the gray hair and vivid catlike jade green eyes, Yukimi concluded that the person standing in front of her was the infamous Russian giant everyone talked about.

“Can I help you?” Yukimi kindly asked, trying to ease the tension from the first-year’s shoulders.

“Uhm,” the tall first-year stuttered. He didn’t expect for the volleyball club’s manager to be this pretty. Looking down and never meeting the girl’s eyes, his nervousness grew as every minute ticked by. “You’re the manager of the volleyball club, right?” He received a nod, making him gulp down his nerves. “Uhm — ah — I’m planning on joining the volleyball club!”

At this, Yukimi brightened. Though her club appeared to be perfectly alright with its members, Yukimi was excited to have such a tall player in the team. With this, Nekoma could be a force to be reckoned with. “How long have you been playing?” she asked, genuinely curious because someone with this height can definitely take the sports world by storm.

The first-year scratched his head with an uneasy chuckle. “I’ve never played volleyball before,” he muttered, making Yukimi lean forward to catch his words. Clearing his throat, the boy said in a more audible voice, “I’ve never played volleyball before and I decided to do it this year because I’m curious.”

“Oh?” Yukimi voiced out, an eyebrow raised. Still, she grinned at the tall first-year and pointed to her classroom, where every occupant tried to nonchalantly listen to their conversation. “I’m going to get the application from my bag, uhm …”

Realizing that he didn’t tell his senior his name, the younger boy jumped. “Ah! I’m Haiba Lev!” He introduced himself, saluting with a straight posture.

Yukimi chuckled under her breath, turning to the open doorway of her classroom. “Well, Haiba-san,” she said. “I’ll get the application form and inform the captain that we have a new recruit. Excuse me for a minute.” When she stepped inside the room, Yukimi bumped into somebody. She looked up to apologize but was met with Kuroo’s half-lidded gaze. “Haiba-san, it seems like I won’t have to fetch the captain for you because this is him.” Yukimi then passed by Kuroo to get the application forms while the latter continued to stand with both hands planted on the doorway.

“I heard ‘volleyball club’ and I couldn’t help but approach this conversation with a humble sentiment,” Kuroo informed, flashing a close-eyed smile at the first-year. Opening his eyes, he stared Lev dead in the eye, making the first-year flinch. “Are you the new member?”

Lev nodded vigorously, sweating bullets on his forehead. “Yes! I’m Haiba Lev from Class 1-3!”

Kuroo grinned and hummed to acknowledge the younger boy. “Well, Haiba Lev from Class 1-3, I see you got the height already. What’s your experience with volleyball? How long have you been playing the sport?”

Again, Lev relayed some of his background information to Kuroo, like how he was a clumsy person and how he never had any history with volleyball. Throughout Lev’s talk, Kuroo’s expression went from blank to incredulity.

“What? You’ve never played before?” Kuroo asked. To be honest, the prospect of accepting new members right when InterHigh is fast approaching is quite a risk, especially someone who has no prior experience to volleyball. As Kuroo sized up the first-year and contemplating the pros and cons in the current situation, he had this crazy idea of accepting his application. With that height, the club could whip Lev into shape to become a weapon that will be their ticket to the nationals. Now, all Kuroo has to do is inform the two coaches about this and pray to any gods that Lev will be a reserve player. “I apologize for my rude question but since InterHigh is nearly here, I’m afraid we’ll have to consider your application for quite a long time.”

Lev shook his head, his expression determined. “As long as I get to join, senpai, it’s fine by me! I will have to train vigorously to meet your expectations.”

“That’s Kuroo-san to you,” Kuroo absentmindedly noted. “I’m not particularly used to the social hierarchy in sports so that will have to do for now.”

“Yes, Kuroo-san!”

“Geez, you’re lively as well, huh?” Kuroo muttered. “You’ll have to fit right in the team with that attitude.”

“Haiba-san, here’s the application form,” Yukimi called out, placing herself beside Kuroo. “I hope you didn’t change your mind with this idiot’s ramblings here.” The short-haired girl smiled, to which the first-year openly admired. She heard Kuroo’s scoff at the name-calling and the younger boy’s staring but the messy-haired captain stayed silent. “Fill that up and give it to me by the end of the week. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to decide if you really want to join the club.”

Lev nodded frantically, his eyes shining. “Thank you so much, _kirei-_ senpai!”

Yukimi blinked, surprised at the abrupt nickname. The volleyball club only called her that so she figured that Lev might be acquaintances with the other first-years. “Ah, you’re welcome, Haiba-san,” she replied with a shaky laugh.

“Thank you as well, Kuroo-san!”

“No problem,” Kuroo answered with a wave of his hand, watching the tall freshman as he went back to the first-years’ floor with a half-lidded gaze. Once he was out of sight, Kuroo turned to Yukimi with a smirk. “Wow, he’s not a member, and yet he called you that. Your impact, Hana!” He then laughed when Yukimi playfully glared at him.

“I don’t know how the others put up with you,” Yukimi deadpanned.

“What can I say, I’m irresistible. Hey, don’t look at me like that, Hana!”

* * *

“Where do you want to go?”

“I want to go to the arcade!”

“Hey, let’s go to that ramen shop you mentioned last time.”

“How about we eat dinner in that café right down the road? They sell amazing parfaits and pasta.”

Every dismissal, these filled the classroom. This afternoon wasn’t an exception as the other students of Class 3-5 stood up and the sound of chairs scraping and excited chatters reverberated through the four walls of the room. While everybody expressed their joy in having a club-free or a prep-class-free afternoon, Yukimi stared at the chalkboard with pursed lips, her heart pounding in her ears. She thought that her cleaning duty has passed but written on the corner of the board was her name and another person that she always felt butterflies with.

“You guys go on ahead, I have cleaning duty today.”

“Aw, but Romi-chan, we always go to the café together.”

“I’ll have to catch up with you then,” Romio told his friends with an apologetic expression on his face. Now that the room was clear of people, he rolled up the sleeves of his blazer and inner-shirt and placed his backpack on top of the teacher’s table. Waving away his racing heart, Romio straightened his posture and faced the girl, who always took his breath away, with a forced smile. “Kazahana, why don’t you start on sweeping the floor? I’ll start wiping the windows here.”

Yukimi only nodded and went to the back of the classroom to take out a broom. Her mind was muddled with thoughts regarding the boy with her at the moment. Of course, she missed the times when the two of them weren’t blanketed with a palpable air of awkwardness that made her want to flee the room. Because right now, as the both of them cleaned their classroom with nothing but the white noise as the background, Yukimi once again felt her chest constrict painfully.

“I miss you, you know?”

Taking in a sharp inhale, Yukimi never lifted her head from the ground, the task of sweeping the floor forgotten as she firmly clutched the broom in her hands. The silence continued with only both of their heartbeats echoing through the room, and yet she nearly concluded that hers was louder than his. Yukimi never had the courage to look at him in the eye after he uttered those words but Romio stared at her hunched figure with ripples of melancholy.

“I miss the way we laughed when I teased you about your introduction to our class back in first year. I miss the way your eyes sparkled when you talk about your fascination with butterflies and the moon. I miss the way you pointed out every single book that caught your eye in the bookstores.” He stopped to inhale a deep breath. Then, he continued with the same tone, “I just miss you, Yukimi-chan.”

She couldn’t speak. It felt like something came up her throat to tie up her tongue, making her choke up the words that she needed to say to make Romio stop. Because all she felt was suffocation from his words, making it hard for her to breathe. However, the situation didn’t ease up when Romio continued talking about their times together like it was vomit. He talked about how he first saw her in the entrance ceremony and how she smiled at him and he was caught breathless. He talked about how he felt calm around her during his days that they were hanging out together. He talked about how he fell in love even more with how she expressed herself in her talents. Yukimi’s grip on the broom’s handle tightened even more.

“Then why?” she interrupted, never meeting his eyes. “Why did you tell me all those things back when you confessed?”

Romio stopped mid-sentence and blatantly stared at her. “I was taken by surprise by what I felt for you,” he answered in a steady voice, eyes now cast on the floor. “I know I made you confused with everything I’ve done. I’ll be honest with you right now, Yukimi-chan.” He took a deep breath. “I always knew you were hurting because of me and I’m deeply sorry for that but I want you to know that that time you drifted away from me was probably my breaking point. I lost an amazing friend just because the hurt I felt during my failed relationship in middle school is still so raw and it affected me more than I realized. I never meant to say I regretted liking you. It’s just that you deserve someone better than me — better than the shortest boy and the most messed up in class.”

The boy widened his eyes when Yukimi finally faced him. His heart ached when he saw unshed tears glinting in her eyes. “Why do you always say that, Romio?” she pleaded. “I don’t care about anyone else, I will still choose you. You’re the one I have feelings for, not the other boys you deemed to be for me. Can’t you see that after all those words you said to me, I still like you? I’m still in love with you after all these years, Romio.”

“My answer will never change, Yukimi-chan. Thank you for liking me but I’m sorry that I can’t accept those feelings again.” Romio paused to plant his stare on Yukimi’s teary and miserable eyes. “I’ll have to say this and I’m sorry again but two broken people can’t exactly fix each other.”

Yukimi felt her heart drop. Realizing that you’re an unstable person is one thing but having someone say it directly to your face was like a slap and the short-haired girl could only force a smile. “Thank you for listening to my first love confession, Romio,” she told him. “And now that the classroom is clean, can I head home?”

Romio was left stunned as Yukimi slung her bag over her shoulder and left the room. The short-haired girl sluggishly went down the flights of stairs, biting her lips to prevent herself from sobbing. The thoughts that have gone rampant earlier all vanished as she reached the shoe lockers. But there leaning on the lockers beside hers was Kuroo, his usual half-lidded stare fixated on the lockers in front of him as he waited for Yukimi to finish her cleaning duties.

Without looking up at him, Yukimi told Kuroo in a dull voice, “I confessed to him.”

This gained Kuroo’s attention, making him turn his head towards Yukimi. “What—?” he uttered but he quickly stopped when Yukimi cried. It reminded him of that day where she also cried this hard. The tall lad took a step forward, with every step making his heart pound even more loudly in his chest, and wrapped his arms around Yukimi. An arm was curled around her waist, putting no space between the two of them, while the other arm was tenderly placed on her head, pulling her closer to him and making her bury her head in the crook of his neck. When her soft sobs turned into hiccups, Kuroo tightened his embrace on her and burrowing his face on her hair. He couldn’t even pinpoint if the heartbeat he hears is his or Yukimi’s but regardless, he found himself relishing the sound of their combined pulses.

With every rational thought set aside for the meantime, Kuroo planted a gentle kiss on Yukimi’s head, making the girl’s breath hitch and for her heart to race. Ducking his head, Kuroo breathed into Yukimi’s ear, “Why do you keep chasing a guy who doesn’t have the guts and capacity to return your feelings when there are guys out there who are genuinely interested in you? Do you know how much it irks and pains me to see you cry?” At every word, Kuroo punctuated it with tightening his hold on her. He lifted his head to stare down at Yukimi’s wide and bloodshot eyes. “I know how it feels when the person you love, doesn’t love you back. I know as much as you do, Hana, and I’m painfully aware of it.” Kuroo gulped. _It’s now or never_. “So that you won’t experience pain again — fall in love with me instead.”

_What?_

When Kuroo stopped talking, Yukimi couldn’t bring herself to squirm out of his embrace, much less look away from his soft eyes. Ah, those molten gold eyes — who always seem to find and linger her way since they were first-years, who always seem to light up whenever she’s around, and who always seem to focus on her as if everyone didn’t exist.

_Ba-dump._

They were so close to each other, with mere inches separating their faces. So close that Yukimi could see the growing blush on Kuroo’s face, igniting her own face to warm up. Then, a ghost of a touch settled on her left cheek, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Once again, her breath hitched when Kuroo neared his face to hers until she can feel his breath on her face. Inches became centimeters until Kuroo placed his forehead against hers, making her close her eyes.

“Just fall in love with me, Hana.”

_Ba-dump._

His half-lidded gaze greeted her when she opened her eyes, igniting an explosion of butterfly wings in her stomach. Those words are the key to seeing Kuroo in a different light. Before, Yukimi only found Kuroo to be this popular boy with extraordinary excellence in academics and volleyball and she never shed any glance at him — never even noticing him. Preoccupied with her own priorities and being in love with Romio, she always overlooked those sneaking glances at her and the soft brushes of his hand on her back during practices and now with him this close to her, everything flew from her mind.

Yukimi finally and solely looked at him.

“You finally saw me, huh?” Kuroo whispered, a small smile tugging on his lips.

_Ba-dump._

“Come on, Kenma is waiting at the convenience store. We’ll walk you home.”

Kuroo grinned at her as he pulled away, taking her school bag from her shoulder and placing it on his vacant one. A comfortable silence ensconced over the two of them as Kuroo tugged onto Yukimi’s hand, pulling her towards the school’s exit. She never said anything as they walked down the streets towards the convenience store and Yukimi worried that she probably made Kuroo uncomfortable by her silence throughout his revelation.

Yukimi hoped that her silence won’t come off as insulting to him because the truth is, Kuroo left her irrevocably speechless.

As for Kuroo, for him to be so vocal about his thoughts to Yukimi was so new to him because every single declaration of affection was conveyed through little actions — a brush of his hand on her back, letting her enter the gym and classroom first, gentle reminders about the assigned schoolwork ( whether in text or a random intervention during practice ), buying her a small bottle of banana milk every afternoon, or spontaneous compliments that made his heart race just by uttering them. And now, Kuroo indicated his feelings by threading his fingers with hers, interlocking their hands together. His thundering heartbeat echoed through the silence, a silence he was used to when he was growing up.

Because if Kuroo ever used his voice, he would blurt out those three words that he carefully caged in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will be the turning-point in Yukimi's and Kuroo's relationship and might i say i want what they have :"(


	12. SUPERMARKET ENCOUNTERS.

Exams.

A dreadful word in every student’s vocabulary.

Once you fail just one subject, the next thing you’ll experience are supplementary lessons and exams which will wedge itself in your already packed schedule, given if you have a club in one of your priorities. Each exam covers half of your final grade in the midterms, which is quite a heavy portion if you don’t want to fail. Now with one week to spare for midterms, every student is seen racking their brains and dedicating their time in studying ( whether it be in their homes or in school during vacant periods ). The school wouldn’t even take the excuse of having not enough time if you flunk because the administration offered a week free of club activities and extra-curricular before the exam days.

In Metropolitan Nekoma High, there were only a few students who topped the exams with perfect scores since they were first-years. The student council president is one of them and even some presidents of other clubs, but in actuality, one of the top-scorers displayed a laidback and carefree attitude that intimidated some students.

Kuroo’s mind couldn’t grasp the many reviewers and highlighted textbooks he had lain in front of him as he still continued to recapture his conversation with Yukimi a few days ago. That was the last conversation he had with the short-haired girl and it worried him that he scared her off. Since club activities have been suspended for the week for exams, Kuroo never had a moment alone with Yukimi since the day she confessed to Romio, which was at the start of the week. The girl would always immediately go out of the classroom every dismissal, leaving behind a gaping Kuroo.

But he was so sure that something has shifted between them that day.

It all sprang when Kuroo and Kenma kept true to their promise of walking her home, even though their houses are not that close to each other, with the two boys’ neighborhood a few streets apart from Yukimi’s. As they were walking up a rather steep street, with Kenma insisting that he will be a few paces behind them, Kuroo chose to look up to the stars dotting the sky while Yukimi patiently waited for her familiar house to appear. The tall lad silently thanked her for the silence until Yukimi announced that they already arrived in front of her house. Kuroo was slightly bummed that their time together was cut short but once he saw the grateful glint and warm smile of Yukimi, every negative thought vanished from his mind.

Maybe it was just in the spur of a moment reaction. Or it could be that his declaration still felt so raw within him. But one thing was certain — he didn’t even think for a second when he leaned towards Yukimi, planting a tender kiss on her cheek.

Growling under his breath as he abrasively ran his hand through his already messy hair, Kuroo’s face morphed into aggravation as he read through his notes on Biology. Just looking at his notes made him remember Yukimi’s own organized and eye-pleasing ones and it frustrated him even further, making him huff under his breath with a cross look on his face.

“If you want to be annoying like that, you know the way to the door,” Kenma dryly told him, his eyes disapprovingly set on his childhood best friend while his own revisions remained blank.

Every exam season, the Kozume household welcomes Kuroo’s rambunctious yet studious behavior and would direct him to Kenma’s room, much to the displeasure of the younger boy. In his two years of high school, Kenma never paid any heed to the academic standing that some students valued since he would rather play the unfinished RPG game he recently bought or find that legendary Pokémon he has been raving on about — but Kuroo will always reign Kenma into studying. And now, with both their midterms next week, the pair of best friends settled inside the younger boy’s room, their notebooks strewn over the low coffee table, and various snacks and drinks thrown over the carpeted floor.

The sight was supposed to be the usual occurrence and will serve as a stimulant to the two to continue studying but seeing as Kuroo was a restless mess, Kenma couldn’t help but be irked. The second-year could feel his eye twitch whenever the older boy groaned loudly in frustration, even to the point of bonking his head on the wooden coffee table, disrupting Kenma’s peace while he attempted to write down the many terminologies and dates in Social Studies. Thinking that this is the last straw, Kenma scrunched his face in disgust as Kuroo now wailed while facing his textbook.

“Get out, Kuroo,” Kenma hissed, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the messy-haired boy as his grip on his mechanical pencil tightened.

“But, Kenma, I couldn’t get it out of my head!”

Kenma’s eye twitched in annoyance. “I’m trying to study here to maintain my place in the volleyball club because I don’t have your brain in memorizing,” he retaliated, his glare never faltering. “I’d rather play my game right now anyways.”

“You know Mom won’t like that!” Kuroo replied, pointing at the apathetic expression on Kenma’s face.

Since Kuroo moved to Tokyo because of his parents’ divorce when he was young, the timid child never had any maternal figure growing up. So when he introduced himself to Kenma and started playing volleyball and games with him in the younger boy’s house, Kuroo decided to call Kenma’s mother ‘Mom’ because she was the closest thing he ever had to one ( except for his grandmother ). It always stuck with him through the years and never once did Kenma’s mother minded. She rather liked Kuroo’s presence in their house and was forever grateful for pushing her son to the world.

“I don’t particularly care, Kuroo,” Kenma spat, turning back to his notes.

“I wonder what Hana’s doing today,” Kuroo wondered, his gaze absentmindedly going to the window, eyes lost as he watched the heavy rain patter down.

“Probably studying,” Kenma replied, never lifting his head from writing down on his notebook. “You know Yukimi-san, she will most likely take the top spot again in the student ranking.”

Kuroo hummed, still staring out the window. “You think she wondered about the things I said to her?” he asked.

Kenma rose an eyebrow and spared a glance at his solemn friend. “What exactly did you say to her?” he inquired. “You didn’t say anything about it. All I know is that you both came to get me at the convenience store and that you kissed her cheek when we walked her back.” He saw Kuroo furrow his brows with a pink face and it nearly made him laugh. Nearly. He stoically continued looking at the messy-haired boy to make him answer his question because he was also curious. That time, Kenma could sense something amiss from the two but he chose to brush it off. “If you won’t talk, then okay.”

When Kenma returned to studying, Kuroo pursed his lips. “I may or may not have told her about my feelings,” he carefully phrased, twirling his pen in his hand — a habit he picked up when he was in junior high. When he saw Kenma mildly raise an eyebrow, he continued, “She confessed to that Kagami guy and was rejected again.”

“Again?” Kenma parroted.

Kuroo nodded. “Apparently, Kagami confessed to her back in first year and ended up rejecting her when he’s the one who confessed,” he informed. Kenma furrowed his brows while writing. “Weird guy, I know. She confessed and she came crying at the shoe lockers. I was waiting for her there and I said things that connote to what I’m feeling towards her. I basically told her to fall in love with me instead of Kagami.”

“I don’t have the capabilities to advise you because I am not exposed to that field,” Kenma replied, pertaining to the concept of relationships. “I think it would be best to consult Kai-san or Yaku-san about that.”

“It’s exam season and I don’t want to add this to their plate!”

“Well, then shut up and let me study in peace, Kuroo, because you’re not the only one with an exam.” A long pause resonated through the room as Kuroo huffed and tried studying while Kenma wrote down the very last date he needed to memorize. Encoding each one of them to make it easier to register, Kenma remembered something while watching Taketora play an otome game as he highlighted a certain line. “Keep treating her like before. That way, it won’t be awkward for the two of you.”

Kuroo looked surprised at Kenma’s remark. “Never knew you had it in you, Kenma,” he mindlessly voice out. “Where did you even learn to formulate those sentences?”

“Tora was playing an otome game way back and he was in a route leading to a confession. He tried selecting the option of staying calm after telling the in-game character his feelings,” Kenma told him. “Figured it would work for you.”

“This is not a dating simulation game!” Kuroo exclaimed.

The younger boy indifferently shrugged. “I tried helping you,” Kenma said. “You’re on your own now.”

The air carried the rain’s scent in the breeze, mixing with the air-conditioned wind in tendrils inside Kenma’s room as Kuroo ducked down to continue reviewing. His hand immediately started writing where he left off, an in-depth analysis of genetics and mutation, and jotted down paragraphs and explanations of a given diagram in his booklet. All his flurry of thoughts regarding the short-haired girl became dormant as he engulfed himself in an avalanche of lectures, the thought of acing the exams in the first of his many priorities.

On another note, Yukimi was snug in her hoodie as the thunderstorm pelted down their area in massive strength. The rain never deterred her from her studies since she quite likes the coldness and atmosphere it brings while staying in the comfort of her home. With her air-conditioner set in a slightly high temperature and her mug of coffee nestled beside her stationery and papers, Yukimi was at her prime as she continued revising her mistakes in the practice questions, distracting thoughts completely out of her mind ( unlike Kuroo ). She wasn’t exactly a genius since she had to put all her effort into learning new things but the fact that she placed as the top student in Nekoma proved it wrong, and now, Yukimi worked herself up since nine in the morning this Saturday.

A knock on her door jolted Yukimi from scribbling another derivation, making the girl turn her head towards the entrance of her room. “Come in,” she called out, and almost immediately, Natsumi poked her head through her opened door. Yukimi smiled at her mother, who made herself in with a saucer of a peach cake slice in her hand.

Natsumi placed the saucer of cake beside Yukimi’s mug of coffee and kissed her daughter’s forehead affectionately after. The older woman then sat herself on Yukimi’s tidy bed as she watched her daughter take a bite of the cake with a soft gaze. “You’ve been studying for five hours straight, Yuki-chan,” Natsumi told her. “Take a rest first, I’ve been worrying since you didn’t come downstairs.”

“I’m completely fine, Mom,” Yukimi reassured, a smile on her face. “It’s true that I studied for five hours but I have been doing this for the past four days as well. You know I need to ace the exams.”

Natsumi gave Yukimi a warm smile as the younger girl took a sip on her coffee while skimming her eyes on a passage in her Social Studies textbook. Her daughter worked so hard these past few days and as much as she was endeared to see her motivation, it deeply concerned her since Yukimi always garnered a habit of overworking herself to the point of exhaustion. But right now and during the previous days, Yukimi possessed an air of calmness and concentration which is so rare ( this meant that Yukimi could be in one of her better moods ) and her eyes seem to sparkle with a liveliness that nearly set Natsumi to tears.

It was such a long time since Natsumi ever saw that glimmer in her daughter’s eyes. There were some occasions that it was deeply consistent and noticeable when she was young, just like that time when she painted her first portrait during primary school or that time she sang during her second year in Nekoma. It was nice to see her so vibrant for a change and Natsumi wondered what made her display such an ambiance.

“Yuki-chan, did something happen to you the past days?” Natsumi pondered, her head tilted to the side. “I have to thank that because it made you so happy.”

Yukimi blinked at her mother’s remark, her coffee and cake forgotten for a second. Somehow, her mother’s inquisitive gaze made her face warm, making her look away to focus her eyes on her bookshelf. Something did happen to her on Monday and she’d rather not put much thought into it, but with her mother opening up the conversation with that topic, she couldn’t exactly avoid it. But Yukimi chose to keep quiet. “Nothing happened, Mom,” she assured. “It’s just that I felt really good about studying this time. Just thinking about finishing the exams drives me into putting all my effort into it.”

Natsumi chuckled under her breath and proceeded to shake her head with a smile. The older woman stood up from her seat and ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Okay, if that’s what you say so, Yuki-chan,” she hummed. “Don’t overwork yourself.” As Natsumi reached Yukimi’s door, she quickly turned around to face the younger girl again as if she just remembered something. “Oh, and by the way, we’ll go grocery shopping at the supermarket in about three hours.”

“Okay, Mom,” Yukimi smiled, turning back to her coffee table to continue studying. Pondering what her mother said, the girl decided to stop studying for a few minutes, letting her mind shift to Kuroo. Placing her chin on her hand, Yukimi stared into space as she recalled the tall lad’s words.

_Fall in love with me instead._

Slowly letting her head fall on the coffee table, Yukimi’s face became warm as she pursed her lips. Playing with her eraser mindlessly with lidded eyes, she let herself acquiesce to her racing heartbeat. Kuroo’s voice when he uttered those words deeply resonated through her head and his actions spoke volumes in her mind — how he held her so delicately with a firm grip, how his lips grazed her ears as he whispered to her, how he pressed a heart-fluttering kiss on her cheek ( which left her gawking in front of her house with a stunned yet embarrassed façade ), and how he eyed her in the classroom with tentative glances the following days.

_You finally saw me, huh?_

Letting out a frustrated groan, Yukimi buried her head in her arms. In a moment, drowsiness enveloped her as images of red jackets and a lopsided tie breezed through her mind in broken clips. As the rain continued pouring outside and with her unfinished coffee and cake beside her, Yukimi finally slept soundly for the first time in her hectic week.

* * *

There was one thing that Kuroo mildly disliked and that is grocery shopping.

Being the only one young enough in their house to lift heavy eco-bags, Kuroo was assigned by his father to be the family’s official errand boy. Usually, the messy-haired boy would try to convince Kenma to go out of his house and make him accompany his shopping spree with a bribe but seeing as the rain had no sign of letting up, Kuroo went out alone. It was a good thing he finished reviewing Biology because if he didn’t, he would have to venture into the grocery with his notes. He can breathe a sigh of relief earlier when he finished Biology since that was the only subject left for him to study, which means he can enjoy his Sunday free of responsibilities.

Entering the supermarket, Kuroo immediately went for the carts. Scanning his list, the messy-haired lad shivered as he walked down the aisles to reach the toiletries. In a robotic manner, he picked up the toilet paper that his father told him to purchase first, then turning towards where the toothpaste was situated. Kuroo sluggishly moved in different sections of the supermarket until he reached the produce section, the fruits’ aromatics entering his senses. With half-lidded eyes, the tall lad read his list once again.

Leafy vegetables, root crops, and lastly the fruits. His grandmother wanted some bananas so he placed two hands of bananas inside the upper cart. His grandfather craved some oranges so he picked two clusters of the fruits as well. His father requested peaches so Kuroo reached for the pile of the pale pink fruit. With his eyes trained on his list, he felt a finger brush against his hand, making him jolt in his place. Wanting to apologize, Kuroo looked up and felt his breath hitch when a too familiar pair of caramel brown eyes blinked at him.

Yukimi, in her all too heavenly glory, stood beside him with her hand still outstretched and touching his on top of the pile of peaches. Passing his gaze from her face to her clothes, Kuroo gulped as his heart began to pound in his chest. The girl’s short-hair was tied in a low ponytail, her fringe framing her face exquisitely, giving him a clear view of her neck. He regarded her with steadiness, taking in her attire; consisting of a hoodie, loose ankle-length jeans, and tattered sneakers. The fact that she managed to make his heart race with such a simple attire made him gulp down the fluttering nerves gnawing in his throat. Taking a deep breath, Kuroo tried to acknowledge her.

“Hey.”

His eyes widened when the one-syllabic word was uttered with a light and airy tone, mixing with his hoarse voice. _Keep treating her like before. That way, it won’t be awkward for the two of you._ Easier said than done. Kuroo silently cursed Kenma in his mind for easily suggesting the advice because in this situation, he couldn’t help but be awkward.

“So, you like peaches, too, huh?” Kuroo asked her in a light inquiry, a smile on his face.

Yukimi blinked out of her trance and gave Kuroo a heart-stopping smile. “I just craved it because I was eating peach cake earlier,” she answered with a laugh. “Mom only bought a small box with three slices of different-flavored cakes so I had to have more. What about you? I didn’t peg you as someone who likes peaches.”

The tall lad nodded his head as he placed the peaches in his cart. “I’m more like a watermelon kind of person,” he told her. Aside from the fact that he liked chewing on a dewy slice of the said fruit, it was also the perfume of the girl standing in front of him at the moment. It was in the middle of first year when Yukimi started using the perfume and seeing as Kuroo adored everything watermelon, he couldn’t help but be ensnared once again by the effervescent girl. “My father wanted some peaches so he asked for some and me being the house’s errand boy, I had to do his bidding.” He looked around the produce area, then turning back to Yukimi with slightly furrowed brows. “You’re here alone?”

Letting out a chuckle, Yukimi shook her head. “No, I’m here with my Mom,” she answered, looking behind her shoulder for a second. “She told me to pick up the fresh produce while she went to the dairy section. I’m supposed to be in the meat and seafood aisle after this.”

Kuroo’s heart picked a notched-up pace. “Well, what a coincidence,” he grinned. “I’m heading there as well.”

“Let’s go, then,” Yukimi told him with a warm smile.

The two walked side-by-side, pushing their carts towards the meat section of the supermarket. After picking his own choices of beef and chicken, Kuroo placed both elbows on the handle of his cart as he stared at Yukimi, who was having trouble picking between chicken breast and chicken wings. He found himself slightly chuckling at the sight of the troubled look on her face, her bottom lip jutting out in concentration. Shaking his head, Kuroo walked over behind Yukimi and examined the two wrapped containers over the girl’s shoulder. A few seconds after reading the labels, the messy-haired boy hummed and shifted eyes to Yukimi, whose face was dusted with a light pink.

They were standing in front of a huge refrigerator, Kuroo thought, it could be that she was feeling a nip in the air. Without realizing that Yukimi was blushing because of their close proximity, with Kuroo’s chest nearly touching her back, the tall lad gazed at her with concerned eyes. “Are you cold?” he breathed beside her cheek, already working on taking off his jacket, leaving behind a gray sweatshirt.

Yukimi looked behind her with wide eyes, her words stuttering a reply. “Kuroo, I’m perfectly fine—.” Before she could finish, Kuroo already draped his too-large jacket on her shoulders, making her mind swirl from the scent of the fabric. It was the same whiff she always picked on the two times Kuroo hugged her — she couldn’t quite exactly pinpoint the scent but she could faintly smell a hint of lavender from his clothes. In fact, it made her heart flutter since it was one of her favorite fragrances. Lowering her chin to her chest, Yukimi tried hiding the growing blush on her face.

She really has no idea how beautiful she looks, was what Kuroo marveled as Yukimi inserted her arms in the jacket, the large piece of clothing swallowing her small figure. Never realizing that he was staring too long, Kuroo shook his head with a smile at the thought that Yukimi looked nice in his clothes. Lifting his lips in a grin, the tall lad pulled on Yukimi’s hand. “Hey, what your pick? Breast or wings?” he asked playfully, nodding his head to the two containers that are forgotten in Yukimi’s cart.

“Oh, I completely forgot about that,” Yukimi realized, taking the two containers and raising them to Kuroo’s eyes. “Which do you think is better?”

Kuroo placed a hand under his chin in a faux contemplative manner. “I’d always pick breast, you know,” he said in a teasing voice, his half-lidded eyes regarding the chicken breast mischievously.

The short-haired girl scrunched her face in disgust. “Ugh,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “I shouldn’t have let you pick.”

The all-too-familiar cackle rang from Kuroo, catching the attention of some people around them. “What?” he asked, sobering from his laughter as he glanced at the disapproving expression on Yukimi’s face. “You asked for my opinion and I gave it. What can I say?” He shrugged. “I like chicken breasts. You don’t have to look at me like that.”

Yukimi rolled her eyes and shook her head as she placed the chicken breast in her cart. Chuckling a bit from Kuroo’s playful demeanor, the short-haired girl looked up at him. “Where next?” she asked, her hand firmly gripping her cart’s handle.

Kuroo hummed, looking at the ceiling for a second. He then shifted his attention to Yukimi after a moment with a large grin on his face. “This isn’t on my list but I’m thinking of buying it,” he vaguely told her, making the girl raise one of her eyebrows in question.

“And what is that?” Yukimi asked with a wary tone.

The next thing she knew, Kuroo pulled her in front of the seafood section of the supermarket, presenting the variance of fishes available. To be honest, Yukimi doesn’t like seafood that much, yes, she ate some, but only in small amounts. But seeing Kuroo looking so alive at the display, Yukimi chose not to voice it out. Still in a daze, Kuroo pulled her hand and led her into a specific array of fishes.

“Pacific saury?” she asked, staring at the elongated fishes. Yukimi glanced at the glistening-eyed Kuroo from the corners of her eyes. “Isn’t it an autumnal seasonal fish?”

Kuroo nodded. “I figured they won’t probably sell it since it’s still the middle of spring but here we are! Just looking at these mackerel pikes makes my stomach grumble.”

Yukimi breathed a laugh. “You really like mackerel pike, huh?”

“Like?” Kuroo flashed a mirthful grin. “Scratch that, it’s practically my favorite food so it’s going to be more than just ‘like’. Especially if it’s _grilled salted_ mackerel pike — those are the best, you know?” Hearing a hum from Yukimi, Kuroo turned to her after telling a supermarket staff to pack three fishes. “What about you, Hana? What’s your favorite food?” He asked casually with genuine curiosity. He really wanted to get to know this girl, so Kuroo made it his personal mission to let her disclose the little things in her life that compels her contentment.

“Anything with eggs, apparently,” Yukimi replied in a distracted timbre, her eyes fixated on the prawns jumping and moving in their own array. “But if it’s a specific food, it would be omurice. Especially Mom’s omurice — they are the finest.”

It was an unfortunate time to not have any culinary prowess, Kuroo thought. When the staff called him for his fish, Kuroo instantly turned to Yukimi after he politely received his favorite delicacy. Lifting up the eco-bag of mackerel pike, the tall lad informed Yukimi, “I’m proceeding to the counter now. I bought everything that was on my list plus I got this as a bonus. So where are you heading next, Hana? I’ll just put off paying for the next minutes to accompany you.”

Another skipped heartbeat.

“Uhm, I finished, too,” she meekly replied with a small smile. “My Mom told me to meet up with her by the counters.”

“We’ll head there then,” Kuroo told her, pushing his cart beside the girl.

At first, Kuroo never placed any thought in meeting Yukimi’s mother but then, a sudden cognizance sprung in his head. This was supposed to be a milestone but why does it have to be so instantaneous? His heart continued pounding in his ribcage as the pair of third-years approached a woman in her mid-forties. A glimpse at the older woman’s features and Kuroo concluded that Yukimi inherited some traits from her, especially their hair, which was a similar sheen. But it was quite prominent that Yukimi had some differences, the younger possessed softer attributes in her face while the older woman sported a sharper pair of eyes, nose, and even her face shape.

Kuroo concluded that Yukimi could have more similarities with her father.

As the two lessened the distance with the older woman, her blank face brightened in an instant. The personality matched with Yukimi’s, though, Kuroo thought, as he witnessed the woman wave her hand enthusiastically at her daughter. Yukimi went over to the woman and showed her the contents of her cart, with the latter nodding at the girl with a warm smile. Perking from her spot, the short-haired girl turned to look at Kuroo.

“Mom, this is Kuroo Tetsurou,” she introduced him. Kuroo bowed at Yukimi’s mother, who eyed Kuroo with a scrutinizing gaze. He couldn’t help but slightly squirm at the narrowed eyes of the woman but jolted when she gave him a large grin. “He is the captain of the volleyball club I joined and one of my classmates.”

“Hello, Kuroo-san, thank you for taking care of my daughter,” Yukimi’s mother told him, bowing slightly. “I’m Kazahana Natsumi, the mother of this amazing girl right here.” She smiled at her daughter. “I’m sure you already agree with me, right, Kuroo-san?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am?” Kuroo asked.

“That my daughter is amazing.” Kuroo and Yukimi blushed, making Natsumi laugh. “I’m just joking! You don’t have to look so flustered, Yuki-chan! So shall we line up?” She asked the two teenagers as she pushed her cart to the first counter.

“I’m sorry for my Mom, she can be quite lively at times,” Yukimi told Kuroo with an apologetic smile.

Kuroo laughed. “You should’ve seen Kenma’s mom,” he replied, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Let’s go, Hana.” He also pushed his cart and stood behind Yukimi in the line. As he patiently waited for his turn to pay, Kuroo never took his eyes off the girl in front of him. “Hey, Hana, have you finished studying?”

Yukimi looked over her shoulder. “Yeah,” she answered. “I’ll have to review tomorrow, though.” She chuckled under her breath, taking a step forward as the current person in the counter finished paying. “My nerves have been on edge just thinking about the exams on Monday.”

“Trust me,” Kuroo grinned. “You’ll just pass with flying marks, as usual, Hana. I know it.”

It was a common compliment Yukimi received, one she was used to reacting, whether it be a low chuckle or a remark that maybe she couldn’t afford the full marks these exams. But hearing it come from Kuroo, with his deep and respectful resonance, it oscillated something distinctive and earnest and before she realized it, her heartbeat once again raced. Stimulating her already pounding pulse was Kuroo’s golden eyes which never wavered from hers.

“You put too much faith in me, Kuroo. It’s making me more nervous.”

“No pressure,” Kuroo told her, waving his hand. There was something he always wanted to do when exams come their way and Kuroo thought that this would be the precise opportunity to do it. He kept quiet for a second as the line in the counter shortened. “Say, if both of us got perfect marks in a subject, can we exchange our papers and let the other keep it?”

Yukimi blinked at him, curious and startled at the request. “Why?”

“It won’t really make a difference, to be honest,” Kuroo answered with a leveled voice. “Once we get our papers back, there will be no trouble remembering our scores since both of us gained the same one. I know it’s a pointless suggestion but I really wanted to try it with you since that time we both got perfect marks in all of the subjects in the first midterms in our first year.” Kuroo ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to tranquilize the throbbing of his heart.

Who wouldn’t think back on that specific event in their first year in Nekoma? It was midterms and everyone was at the edge of their seats as they waited for their name to be called by the adviser, with Kuroo casually waiting for his turn and Yukimi fidgeting with the sleeves of her uniform. While everyone’s papers were distributed, the two were left confused as to why their names weren’t called yet. It was at that moment that their adviser announced that the two students perfected every single subject, telling them to stand in front of the class as they were given words of congratulations. Yukimi was stunned, disbelief spreading through her as she tried registering the teacher’s words that she aced it, while Kuroo looked forward with half-lidded eyes.

But as Yukimi looked up at him, Kuroo was left breathless.

It was at that moment that Kuroo’s curiosity about Yukimi turned into something more akin to adoration and infatuation when the then long-haired girl directed a saccharine smile at him.

The short-haired girl’s face flushed. “Let’s exchange our papers, then,” she told him, the reminiscent smile greeting Kuroo’s vision.

It made Kuroo’s heart palpitate.

“Yuki-chan, it’s your turn,” Natsumi chirped from in front of the counter, making the said girl break her gaze away from Kuroo.

Once his turn came, Kuroo never lifted his eyes from his cart as he placed the purchased items on the counter. However, he noticed Yukimi’s figure leave in his peripheral vision which he clearly expected since she doesn’t want her mother to wait. As the cashier finished punching every single item, with the groceries carefully organized in different eco-bags, Kuroo walked towards the exit of the supermarket after giving his thanks to the cashier. Retrieving his umbrella from the side of the sliding doors, Kuroo walked out into the canopied entrance of the supermarket. He expected the rain to continue but what he didn’t expect was Yukimi standing in front of him, a couple of eco-bags in her grip.

“Hana?” he asked, bewildered. “I thought you already left?”

Yukimi rose an eyebrow. “You think I would leave without saying a goodbye?” Kuroo never noticed that his jacket was draped on her arm until she handed it to him. “Here’s your jacket, Kuroo, and thank you for lending it to me.” She turned around, her parting words lingering in the air even if she caught up with her mother. “Take care going home and see you on Monday.”

Kuroo blinked, his eyes never leaving the retreating form of Yukimi. With a small smile on his lips, the tall lad walked to the side of the sliding doors to place the eco-bags on the floor. The moment the jacket was on him, a sweet and fruity scent flittered through his nostrils, making him chuckle under his breath.

The scent of watermelon blanketed Kuroo as he walked under the rain, a contented smile on his face.


	13. PEACH AND RAINBOW CAKES.

Stretching her arms over her head as she walked down the pathway leading out of Nekoma High, Yukimi could finally breathe a heavy sigh of solace as the midterms finally announced their end. The rest of the weekend was spent as a refresher for the exams and the first day really passed by like a breeze to her, which she was really thankful for since everything she studied came out in the exams. This could be the very first time Yukimi possessed confidence in her exam results, her weekend nerves vanished as she calmly answered every single question in each day. There’s one reason why confidence rippled through her in waves as she continued walking with her focus set on the ground.

_You’ll just pass with flying marks, as usual, Hana. I know it._

“Hana!”

Yukimi jolted from her stupor as the person she continuously thought about in the past few days jogged towards her, with Kenma calmly striding behind him. With his disheveled hair and uniform, Kuroo still managed to outshine the students among the crowd. But there are things that Yukimi noticed about him and his appearance as she never left her eyes on his grinning visage — how there’s a little dimple in his left cheek whenever he flashes a high-spirited smile, how there is an extra eyelid crease in his right eye, and how his bronze skin seemed to glow under the glare of the sun more than usual. Yukimi couldn’t deny that she finds Kuroo attractive these days and she would always find herself unconsciously looking at him at certain periods of the day.

“You’re heading home already?” Kuroo asked her once he stood in front of the gaping girl, his head slightly tilted to the side. “Kenma and I were planning on going to one of the cafés down the road to celebrate the end of midterms. Want to come with us?”

The short-haired girl blinked at him, her lips parted in a daze. Yukimi tried to look behind Kuroo to meet Kenma’s gaze but the second-year only gave her a tiny smile and a wave, his phone clutched in his hand as if he recently paused the game he was playing. The younger boy seemed to like the idea of her joining them in eating outside unlike the thought circulating in Yukimi’s mind that Kenma could be forced to oblige by Kuroo. Taking a deep breath, Yukimi faced Kuroo, who was still grinning. “I’ll go with you guys,” she replied. “I think I needed a good break after the exams.”

After she uttered her reply, Kuroo whooped and turned around to Kenma. “See, Kenma?” he called out. “I told you she’ll be coming with us!”

Kenma only rose an eyebrow at the taller boy as he continued playing the RPG game he left off before the exams. He frustratingly tapped on the screen of his phone, seeing as he couldn’t get out of the dungeon he ventured just last week. The second-year cursed the exams in his mind, his avatar roaming around the dungeon mindlessly while he tried to remember the way out. This is why he hates taking exams because he will be studying when he could be completing a rather hard level in this game. While the younger boy glared at his phone screen, the two third-years looked at him warily, especially Yukimi since the force Kenma exerted on the screen can be heard from where she stood. Kuroo sighed heavily at the sight of his childhood best friend angrily punching controls.

“Oi, Kenma,” he once again called out. “Your screen will break if you continue playing that way.” The shorter boy didn’t pay him any mind, irking Kuroo a little. The messy-haired boy shifted his eyes to Yukimi. “I swear to God, that boy needs to chill. He’s been that way since the exams ended and I pity his phone.”

“I can perfectly hear you, Kuroo.”

“Well, that’s the point,” Kuroo rose his voice, his eyes never leaving Yukimi’s. “Let’s get going?” His loud timbre became soft as he breathed the question to Yukimi, who was standing rather close to him ( an occurrence that his heart couldn’t take for how fast it beats ).

Yukimi nodded with a smile on her face. She altered her gaze to Kenma, who was still playing in his game, and tried to catch his attention, “Kenma, let’s go to the café now.”

Hearing the girl’s call, Kenma looked up from his phone. Blinking slowly, the second-year stuffed his phone in his pocket and placed his hands on the straps of his backpack. With measured steps, Kenma reached the two third-years, prompting them to start walking to their destination.

As the trio walked down the street, there are different thoughts flittering through their heads. Kenma, for instance, was still hung-up on the unfinished game he left but sometimes he would glance at his two friends walking side-by-side from the corner of his eyes. He wondered when will Kuroo plan to confess his feelings to the girl because it was now prominently conveyed when the tall lad has his left hand firmly placed on the small of Yukimi’s back. This was the usual scene between the two third-years, Kenma thought, and he just wanted his childhood friend to be done with it.

Yukimi was listing the many books she wanted to read now that exams are over. Right before she started studying, she already prepared a list of the novels that she planned on starting at the end of the midterms. An all-nighter was what Yukimi planned to pull off tonight as a small bubble of excitement encompassed her chest. However, after a moment, the bubble exploded and was replaced with warmth as she felt Kuroo’s large hand lightly caressing her back through her uniform. Though it really did soothe her, the warmth in her chest climbed up to her face, an explosion of crimson now dusting her cheeks. Yukimi tried lowering her head a little in embarrassment so that her hair would cover her burning face from Kuroo and Kenma.

In between Yukimi and Kenma, Kuroo was casually matching his pace with his two short companions. No matter how cheesy and cliché he sounded, Kuroo’s mind was filled with Yukimi at the moment. As he decided to stare at the girl beside him, a loud honk, hoots, and whistles echoed through the street, surprising other passersby. In instinct, Kuroo traveled his hand from Yukimi’s back to her waist, pulling her into him and exchanging their positions, making him walk directly beside the road and placing Yukimi between him and Kenma. Kuroo clicked his tongue as he followed the truck with his gaze, his glare intensifying at the occupants of the vehicle, who sported grins and lingering eyes on Yukimi.

“Those damn perverts,” Kuroo grumbled under his breath, his hand tightening its grip on Yukimi’s waist.

“Are you alright, Yukimi-san?” Kenma asked meekly, side-eyeing the short-haired girl, whose face displayed how uncomfortable she feels.

Yukimi nodded, her head never lifting up. When she felt Kuroo squeeze her waist, she bit her bottom lip as she released her grip on the strap of her bag. Trailing her left hand down, Yukimi brushed her fingers against Kuroo’s hand in an attempt to free some tension in his stiff posture. She saw Kuroo turn his head to her in her peripheral vision but she chose to never lift her eyes from the ground as they walked.

When the familiar storefront awning of the café was in front of the trio, Yukimi can finally let go some of the uneasiness she felt while walking to their destination. With Kuroo opening the door for her and Kenma waiting for her to enter first, the short-haired girl inhaled the scent of coffee and the slight undertone of fruity aromatics as she stepped inside the café. Yukimi’s lips lifted in a grin when she saw the display of various cakes in the counter, her eyes specifically zeroing in the peach mousse cake. In her trance, she once again felt Kuroo’s hand on her back. Her heart throbbed once again when the tall lad leaned down to her ear, his breath brushing against her earlobe.

“Hana, let’s find a vacant table first,” Kuroo whispered to her, leading her to a table meant for four.

The three students subsequently plopped in their seats, with the vacant one holding all of their bags. Kenma, once seated, took out his phone and immediately opened his game. Yukimi also took out a book from her bag, her gaze on Kuroo, who stood up with a grunt.

“What do you two want to order?” Kuroo asked, his hands in his pockets.

“Apple pie and iced tea,” Kenma told him without missing a single beat.

“Figured,” Kuroo mumbled, diverting his eyes to Yukimi. “Hana, peach mousse cake and banana milk for you, right?” Seeing Yukimi’s eyes slowly widening, Kuroo cleared his throat with flushed cheeks. “I saw you eyeing the cake when we entered and you practically have your daily dose of banana milk so I guessed that it could be your cup of tea.”

“That’s exactly what I want to order,” Yukimi smiled as she handed him a couple of bills. “This should be enough for the cake and banana milk.”

“Keep that,” Kuroo declined, giving Yukimi a wink. “I’m paying today.” Then, he went to the counter to order their food.

Laughing lightly and opening her book to the first page, Yukimi reminded herself to repay Kuroo later or some other day if he forgets paying for her food. This time, Yukimi read about secret societies and dark academia that she completely became unaware of her surroundings. As her eyes hungrily took in the woven words and dialogues, she never noticed the door of the café jingling, announcing a new customer’s arrival. She didn’t pay any attention while Kenma looked up from his phone and regarded the laughing group of students with an apathetic gaze as they passed by their table.

The second-year inconspicuously trained his indifferent eyes on the group in the table next to them, very much like how he analyzed the opposing players in a volleyball match.

A slim girl with an eccentric laugh ( in Kenma’s opinion ) — he figured that the girl could be one of the members of Nekoma’s dance club since she just popped a little dance as they sat down. A wavy-haired girl occasionally flipping her hair — Kenma saw her one time while the literature club was looking for new members at the start of the term. A lanky cheerful boy who taunted one of the girls — a basketball club member, Kenma huffed, since Kuroo faced him in the club race last year. A girl laughing loudly as she stuffed her face with a free biscuit — choir member. A jagged-short-haired girl who appeared too many times in front of a podium — student council member.

And Kenma slid his eyes to the person next to the student council vice president. He rose his eyebrow imperceptibly when he noticed that the girl’s pinky was linked with a brown-haired boy’s that seemed to be the subject of interest of some of his girl classmates. Isn’t that Kagami Romio? Kenma tore his gaze away from the group of people and directed them at Yukimi, whose eyes were visibly sparkling as she read her book. Worry crept as Kenma remembered that the Romio guy rejected Yukimi to the point that the girl cried in front of Kuroo.

“Apple pie and iced tea for Kenma,” Kuroo interrupted Kenma’s thoughts, making the second-year jump in his seat. “Peach mousse cake and banana milk for Hana. And,” he prolonged the word as he grinned while seating himself, “a breakfast sandwich and iced Americano for me!”

Kenma eyed the greasy sandwich in disdain while Yukimi looked at Kuroo perturbingly. “It’s not breakfast, Kuroo,” she shakily laughed at the messy-haired boy.

“I was hungry since the start of the exams in the morning,” he answered.

“But Mom gave you a bento,” Kenma deadpanned, his statement ending in a rising intonation instead of a declaration.

“It still wasn’t enough,” Kuroo cackled as he bit down on his sandwich, the yolk of the fried egg started dribbling down on the side of the bread.

Shaking her head at the lad in front of her, Yukimi dug in her cake. There was a layer of peach-flavored gelatin in the middle of the mousse cake. To be honest, Yukimi was afraid of ruining the cake since it looked like one of those for-show pastries. On top of the thin pink mousse layer covering the entire slice, small hemisphere-shaped peaches decorated it in an intricate manner. And once she took a bite, the short-haired girl instantly brightened at the explosion of flavors in her palate — the softness of the mousse cake complementing with the gelatin and the bottom layer of sponge cake.

“This is amazing!” Yukimi admired, gobbling up the cake in continuous bites. “It even looks like one of those viral poster desserts.”

“Try the apple pie, Yukimi-san,” Kenma offered, giving Yukimi a forkful of his pie.

Kuroo gaped at how relaxed and collected Kenma looked while giving Yukimi a small portion of his apple pie. There was one thing that Kuroo never did after he attempted it during primary school — asking Kenma for a bite of his apple pie. The younger boy looked at him blankly at that time and threatened to end their friendship if Kuroo dared to breathe in the same vicinity as Kenma’s most prized dessert. But seeing the setter warm up to their manager sent a smile on the captain’s face because it endeared him to witness Yukimi express her awe at the pie while Kenma looked a tad proud ( with his usual stoic visage ) as the girl complimented his favorite delicacy.

As he continued staring at the pair with droopy eyes, Kuroo noticed some apple filling left in the corner of Yukimi’s mouth. Reflexively, the black-haired boy reached out his arm and gently brushed his thumb on Yukimi’s lips, his chin propped on his other hand. Retracting his hand, his stare never wavered from hers as he licked the apple filling he wiped from Yukimi’s lips. Like a contagious cold, Kuroo’s face heats up as Yukimi erupted in a flustered mess.

Maintaining a composed mien, Kuroo gave a half-smile. “Finally, a taste of apple pie,” he noted. _Damn,_ _Hana looked stunning with that blush_ , Kuroo thought as he covered the lower half of his face.

“Oh, Kuroo-kun?” a girl’s voice flitted from beside their table. Yukimi and Kenma looked up at the source of the voice and was greeted with the sight of Nakata Kane and Machida Naoko carrying trays full of pastries and drinks. Meanwhile, Kuroo never lifted his eyes from Yukimi as Kenma glanced between Kane, Kuroo, and Yukimi. He hoped that the newcomer didn’t feel awkward as the messy-haired boy ignored her. “Ah, and Kazahana-san, too! We didn’t see you guys from our table, well, except for Kuroo-kun though.”

“Hello, Nakata-san, Machida-san,” Yukimi greeted with a warm smile.

At the movement of Yukimi’s lips, Kuroo blinked out of his daze and acknowledged the presence of two of his classmates. “Nakata, Machida,” he nodded at them with a small smile.

Kenma silently munched on his apple pie as he scrutinized the mannerisms of the pair in front of their table. From the way the girl seemed to flush under Kuroo’s usual droopy eyes, Kenma inwardly rolled his eyes as another girl became bewitched with his childhood friend’s nonexistent charms. The boy, however, kept glancing at Yukimi and Kenma realized that another boy became allured with the obvious appeal and glamour of their manager. That wasn’t new, though. Masking his amusement, the setter only sipped on his iced tea after swallowing a bite of apple pie.

“The three of you celebrating the end of midterms?” Kane inquired. When Yukimi nodded, Kane bristled at the lack of attention from Kuroo so she chuckled forcefully. “Same for us.” She gestured at her friends behind her, who were all talking animatedly with each other. “But we also planned to celebrate something else! Romi-chan and Miyu-chan are finally together so we wanted to commemorate the start of their relationship.”

At this, Yukimi felt her eyes widen. Thinking that she probably looked idiotic with her slacked jaw, the short-haired girl tried for a smile, congratulating the couple in their relationship. Both boys in her table could only look at her in concern since from the way she sharply inhaled, it looked like she wanted to cry from their perspective. How could she overlook the fact that Romio and Miyuki appeared to be closer since last week? There was an instance where she caught the boy holding the girl’s hand while they studied in the library and she even saw Miyuki handing a wrapped bento to Romio.

Though there was still a slight pang of desolation ringing in her stomach, Yukimi couldn’t deny that this news didn’t impact her the way it used to be. Yes, if she heard this before she confessed to Romio, she would be devastated, but at the moment, she almost felt numb. And Yukimi believed that the reason for her lack of reaction was sitting right in front of her — with his lopsided tie, half-lidded eyes, messy hair, and brilliant personality and mind.

“Well, then,” Kane waved. “We’ll be eating now. Enjoy the rest of your time here!”

As the pair turned around and distributed their snacks to their friends, Kuroo slid his eyes towards the smiling short-haired girl. “How are you feeling?” he tentatively asked in a low voice.

Confused at the sudden question and concerned stares of her friends, Yukimi laughed under her breath. “Why’d you ask? I’m perfectly fine,” she asked, drinking her banana milk. From the first sip, the short-haired girl hummed in satisfaction. She caught Kuroo still staring at her, his eyes trying to convey that she knows what he was talking about. “Ah, to be honest, I feel fine. It doesn’t affect me that much now. I know it’s unusual and three years of liking him will make my envy and insecurity surface but,” she paused to meet Kuroo’s gaze, “something happened and the next thing I knew, my mind isn’t filled with thoughts of him anymore.”

Kuroo widened his eyes a bit at the declaration of the short-haired girl, finding himself unable to look away from the arresting caramel brown irises she sported. Inhaling sharply, Kuroo tried not to assume that Yukimi’s reason for not thinking about Romio was him all along. But who wouldn’t assume things when Yukimi looked at him with those heartfelt eyes that will always send his heart racing?

“So you like someone else, Yukimi-san?” Kenma asked with the purpose of riling up the black-haired boy munching on his breakfast sandwich, his plate of apple pie now empty.

“I don’t like someone right now,” Yukimi told them, her gaze on her remaining peach mousse cake. “I have to give myself a break in romance sometimes, three years of pining over the same guy can affect a person, you know?” She then wistfully smiled as she took a forkful of her mousse cake. “But who knows, maybe there will come a time that I’ll be ready to fall in love again.”

Kenma smiled ever so slightly, satisfied that his female friend wasn’t upset, while the messy-haired boy beside the setter stiffened. Kuroo shouldn’t have drank coffee this afternoon because right after Yukimi uttered those words, he felt his heart palpitate in a whirlwind of beats. Though his mind was baffled, a single thought resurfaced — one that he always reminded himself whenever the caramel-eyed girl felt so out of reach. It might not be today or it could be in a few years’ time but in this very quaint and cozy café, Yukimi unknowingly established something that sent Kuroo in a determined countenance.

Kuroo finally has a chance in winning Kazahana Yukimi’s heart.

* * *

For the second time, Kuroo and Kenma walked Yukimi to the station as the sky turned into a psychedelic blend of tangerine and carnation. The golden glow of the sunset glared through the windows of the train as the three friends comfortably settled in the ride in silence, with Kenma playing his game again, Yukimi reading her book, and Kuroo trying to fall asleep since his friends were preoccupied with their own affairs.

With a few minutes to spare, Yukimi continued reading her book with her earphones plugged in her mp3 player. The short-haired girl flipped page after page as the steady rhythm of indie and alternative music played in her ears. She was about to start the next chapter when she felt a weight placing themselves on her left shoulder. Thick black hair tickled her cheek and a hot breath stroke the side of her neck, sending goosebumps over her arms even though Nekoma’s female uniform was a long-sleeved sailor blouse. Stiffening at the close proximity with Kuroo, Yukimi held her breath for a second, her gaze unfocused on the page she left unattended.

Yukimi inhaled a sharp breath when Kuroo tried to make himself comfortable in his seat. Taking out her right earphone, Yukimi carefully placed it in Kuroo’s ear, making the messy-haired boy relax on her shoulder. Her heart continued to throb as she felt the slightest brush of Kuroo’s lips on her neck, the boy adjusting his position to better fit into Yukimi’s shoulder. Throughout the train ride, Yukimi patiently waited for their stop after she closed her book and placed it inside her school bag. Without anything to do, Yukimi marginally tilted her head towards Kenma to watch the second-year maneuver out of the dungeon.

As the minutes ticked by, the train’s speakers announced their stop. Turning her head to the left, Yukimi tried to wake up Kuroo while Kenma stood up from his seat.

“Kuroo,” Yukimi breathed, stirring the messy-haired boy awake.

Blinking to adjust his eyesight, Kuroo straightened his posture and sleepily smiled at Yukimi. “Did I fall asleep?” he asked, chuckling a bit. “I’m sorry for using you as a pillow.” He looked up at Yukimi, who was patting down her skirt and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “You’re such a pretty sight to wake up to.” Stretching his arms over his head as he stood up, Kuroo froze for a moment to register the words he spoke.

Yukimi’s face flushed and her heart started fluttering in her chest. Some people complimented her for her dainty attributes and she would always brush them off with words of gratitude but the moment Kuroo told her that she was a pretty sight, it was a different story. When Kuroo says it, a swarm of butterflies would erupt in her tingling stomach and her mind would begin to short circuit, even though it was a rare occurrence for Kuroo to give her compliments ( he was too shy to enact them ). There was also comfort lacing through those butterflies that compels a smile on Yukimi’s face but it also gave an underlying effect that ignited her uneasiness — it made her scared for some reason.

 _Fall in love with me instead_.

Looking away from Kuroo with red cheeks, Yukimi walked to where Kenma was waiting. “Let’s go, Kuroo, or do you want to step off the train in the next stop?”

“Coming, Hana,” Kuroo told her with a grin, following his two friends out of the train.

The three students walked towards the exit of the station after scanning their cards in the card readers. Hearing a familiar voice calling her name, Yukimi lifted her head and scanned the crowd for the source of the calls. Once the crowd has slightly thinned, Yukimi can see a woman in a burgundy suit waving at her with a big smile. Seeing that style of clothing too many times growing up, the short-haired girl perked up at the sight of her mother beckoning for her. The third-year then turned around to bid her goodbyes and ‘see you tomorrow’s to her friends.

“I’ll be going now, it seems like my Mom had her shift ended early,” she informed Kuroo and Kenma, with the former rummaging through his bag and the latter waving at her with a small smile tugging on his lips. “See you tomorrow for morning practice and stay safe going home.”

“Wait, Hana.”

A medium-sized box extending from Kuroo’s hand met Yukimi’s vision. In the middle of the plastic top of the box was the logo of the café they ate at earlier and from the aroma coming from the bag, it probably contained one of the cakes displayed in the counter. Finding the gesture sweet, Yukimi gingerly took the box from Kuroo’s hand with both of hers. It wasn’t a rare occurrence for the school’s star athlete to give her random presents of food, the messy-haired boy will always find the time to slide a small bottle of banana milk from the vending machine every afternoon practice or to give her some piece of candy after lunch. So it really warmed her heart when she accepted Kuroo’s box of cake, a smile noticeable on her face.

“Thank you, Kuroo,” she told him, genuinely grateful. She subsequently regarded Kenma with a smile. “Bye, Kenma.” The setter reciprocated her smile and uttered a goodbye before she turned around and steered herself to her mother.

Feeling curiosity encompass her thoughts, Yukimi took a peek on the plastic cover of the box. There, nestled carefully inside, was a small pastel rainbow crepe cake. The layers of soft colors, the light dusting of powdered sugar on top, and whipped puffs of cream surrounding the edges was such a pleasant sight that it enthralled a smile on Yukimi’s face even until her mother and she reached the confines of her home. What she didn’t notice was the pink post-it note attached to the lid that camouflaged on the box’s salmon color palette. On it, was a hasty doodle of a daisy and a familiar scribble.

_I hope the way you see me won’t change, Hana._


	14. OUR CONTENDERS.

The faculty office is situated on the ground floor of Nekoma High’s main building. Usually off-limits to students of any year-level, it served as a closed space of gossiping teachers or workaholics with too many lesson plans and caffeine. Students who frequented their visits here are either troublemakers, those with failing grades, or model students (club presidents or honor students), and all of them (except the latter) would exit the aforementioned room with sullen faces.

A pretty short-haired girl walked through the hallways of the ground floor of the main building, past the gawking first-year students who were whispering how such a radiant senior venture on their floor. Never minding the adoring eyes following her, the girl was slightly worried since the exam results haven’t been released yet and there could be a slight possibility that she failed a subject, mostly because of her carelessness sometimes. Or it could be that they called for her because they needed an extra pair of hands while checking the exam papers, seeing as Nekoma has quite a large student body. With her lips pursed yet with her head held high, the girl slid open the door to the faculty office.

“Ah, Kazahana-san,” one of the teachers acknowledged her. He was a middle-aged man with a kind look in his eyes, which are covered with round glasses. Yukimi recognized him as the current head of the physical education and health teachers since she remembered playing basketball under his guidance when she was a second-year.

“Good afternoon. You called for me, sensei?” Yukimi greeted with a bow and walked towards the teacher’s desk, waiting for him to continue as he rummaged papers on his desk, cluttering it into a storm of documents.

“Ah, yes,” the teacher told her, his eyes and hands frantically searching for something on his messy desk. “Where is it?” He occasionally mumbled. “I know I should have put it where I can easily locate it but my memory seems to jog a lot slower lately.” Yukimi can only stand a couple of meters away from his desk as he finally brightened up, waving a piece of paper that appeared to have boxes printed on it. “I found it!”

The teacher gave it to her with a smile. Looking down on the paper curiously, Yukimi felt her heart clamor with anticipation and nervousness. It was the list of match-ups for the Tokyo InterHigh Preliminaries. She scanned her eyes under furrowed brows for Nekoma’s name until she finally spotted it grouped together in Block B. The school’s name was enclosed in a box and was matched with another rather familiar school with a thin, short line.

“We’re facing off Hachioji Academy?” Yukimi wondered out loud, completely unaware of the teacher’s expectant stare. “That’s a well-known school for their language curriculum, no wonder they sound familiar.” Upon realizing that she had been ogling at the piece of paper, Yukimi stood up straight and bowed at the faculty member, who noticeably jumped from the abruptness of her bow. “I’m sorry, sensei, and thank you for this!”

“Well, good luck, Kazahana-san,” the teacher told her, scratching the back of his head with a shaky laugh. “I see you want your club members to know who their contenders are!”

“Yes, sensei!” she exclaimed. “I should be going to the gymnasium now.” She once again bowed, clambering her way outside the faculty room with wide and excited eyes.

The overwhelming flow of eagerness and elation cascaded through her body as Yukimi practically ran towards the gymnasium. Some of the students lingering (probably staying in the school because of club activities or cleaning duties) looked at her in surprise as she hastily race-walked towards the shoe lockers. The calm and collected golden student of 3-5 gained some perplexed reactions from her year-level, who were also heading out, since the girl never ran in her entire life (except when it was really necessary like physical education or the need of participants during the sports festival). Now switching her outdoor shoes, Yukimi racked her bag over her shoulder seeing as it was sliding from her shoulder from her jittering and jogged towards the female changing rooms of the club spaces.

With her black sweater vest and red bow neatly placed on one of the lockers in the changing room, Yukimi absentmindedly unbuttoned her fitted white long-sleeved shirt as she felt herself drift off to her conversation with Mahiru-sensei, the teacher who accompanied her in the trip to Tokyo University. Apparently, she was once again chosen to be one of the representatives for the first part of the Japan Youth Science and Technology Camp, which overlapped with the Tokyo Preliminaries. Mahiru told her that ever since she tried joining in her first year, Nekoma became one of the top schools in Tokyo pioneering in various subjects.

She had to reject it this year.

Now in her extra white shirt, Yukimi gritted her teeth in frustration and disappointment, knowing that her chance to be offered a scholarship was so out of reach for her. Not that she blamed her participation in the volleyball club, she was rather grateful for it since it has been a great help to her, but knowing that her education was neglected, it didn’t seem right for her — it was a huge burden on her shoulders now. She already knew what her mother would say, “ _It couldn’t be helped, Yuki-chan, at least this year, you’ll be staying home with me and not in some camp full of nerds. Oh, wait, you’re one, too!_ ”

It really couldn’t be helped, Yukimi thought as she slipped into her red track pants. The volleyball club is now her responsibility, not being a representative of the Japan Youth Science and Technology Camp.

Trying to force a smile on her face, Yukimi slung her school bag over her shoulder and went out of the changing room. Throughout her walk to the gym, the short-haired girl tried shaking off her thoughts from her mind until she realized that she has reached the metal doors of the gymnasium. The echoing shouts and squeaks of the boys’ sneakers ricocheted as Yukimi put on her indoor shoes. She remembered that for today’s practice, the boys were all assigned to improve their serves. From the statistics that she jotted down from all the practice matches and practices, Yukimi specifically named players from their team who have the potential to be great servers.

One of them was preparing for his turn as he spun the volleyball in his hand. Yukimi never took her eyes off Kuroo as he threw the volleyball in the air with utmost control and jumped to slam the ball towards the other end of the court. The water bottle positioned just inches away from the outside line toppled as Kuroo’s serve hit its target, with the other club members expressed their awe at their captain’s precise yet power-packed serve.

Realizing that she has been staring at Kuroo for longer than she intended, Yukimi took a deep breath and announced her arrival to the two coaches observing the boys, “Good afternoon, Coach Nekomata, Coach Naoi, the match-ups for the InterHigh has been released.”

Upon uttering the sentence, the occupants of the gymnasium stopped their practice and immediately went to the bench, surrounding the two coaches and manager. Nekomata laughed heartily at the sight of his players scuttling to hear who they were up against after Yukimi gave him the piece of paper. Naoi, meanwhile, scolded the teenagers to lower down their voices while Nekomata reads from the list.

“Ah, Hachioji Academy,” Nekomata voiced out, chuckling from under his breath at the name of the school he just read. “So for the first round of InterHigh, we will be facing Hachioji Academy. This school is rumored to have been using ceiling serves once in a while in matches in the previous years but I don’t know what their team has in store right now. I might have to ask around for that.” He looked at Yukimi, who was writing in her notebook. “Yukimi, I trust you’ll help me with that? Since Naoi will be overseeing the boys’ practice.”

Yukimi nodded with a smile.

“So given that we win against Hachioji, we will be facing Kokusai Koko, which was lined up beside us in Block B,” Nekomata continued, his smile still present on his face. “Their most powerful weapon, if I have to call it that, is their synchronization. We haven’t met with this school in the previous tournaments but from what I heard, they simultaneously try to feint to confuse their opponents. For the rest of May, we will condition yourselves in preparation for these two schools and when June comes, your training will be more specific when we face our real rivals in InterHigh.” The old coach grinned with his arms crossed. “Naoi will talk to you about the teams that we should be wary of this year.”

“First off, we know this school since the team has been a part of their academy group for years,” Naoi started, his remark gaining determined and excited expressions from the team. “Fukurodani Academy.”

“It’s been a while since I talked to that owl captain of theirs,” Kuroo snickered, his eyes filled with mischief while the upperclassmen of the team all nodded along with him.

“I’ve heard of that school but judging from Kuroo-san’s face right now, is he close with their captain?” Shibayama asked Yaku, who was bouncing beside the first-year at the thought of receiving one of Bokuto’s serves or robust spikes that earned the aforementioned player his title as one of the top four best aces in the entirety of Japan.

Yaku looked at Shibayama with a large smile. “Our team and Fukurodani’s hit it off whenever we have our summer camps and I think it’s understandable why Kuroo would befriend Bokuto, seeing as they most likely share their brain cell together.”

Kenma shuddered at the memory of the boisterous pair wreaking havoc together, with Bokuto’s usual and vibrant greeting bouncing off of Kenma’s head and Kuroo’s cackles playing on loop. They were forces to be reckoned with, literally, and Kenma knew that Fukurodani’s setter felt exactly the same as him. But the difference between the two setters is that Kenma doesn’t particularly care if Kuroo were to set fire to the gym, whereas the other setter will go tremendous and various ways in keeping the rowdy Bokuto leashed.

“They’re so loud,” Kenma muttered, pertaining to the two captains. This caught Yukimi’s attention, Kenma noticed, and chose to relay the teams’ interactions to the manager after a dejected sigh. “If you think Kuroo is obnoxious, wait till you see Bokuto. He’s like Kuroo but a different bird species.”

Yukimi laughed. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

Fukurodani Academy.

From what Yukimi can register from the small huddle, the school housed one of the most talented aces in the high-school volleyball league. A team wherein their foundation lies in their renowned ace, Fukurodani greatly uses that in their advantage by scrimmaging their way towards the top of the national stage. Yukimi carefully wrote the kanji for cross-shots in her notebook since from what she can perceive, that was the specialty of Fukurodani’s ace. And with the impeccable complementary setter and team members, Nekoma has never won a set from Fukurodani, even in practice matches, but judging from the bright faces of Nekoma’s team, it’s safe to say that this didn’t darken their resolve just yet.

“Next, our Tokyo rivals,” Naoi continued, laughing under his breath. “Nohebi Academy.”

Kuroo bristled at the name, his scowl pulling down the corners of his mouth. Kai and Yaku let off a laugh beside the irritated messy-haired boy, both third-years knowing that there is a very intense rivalry existing between him and Nohebi’s captain.

“Their playing style is something spontaneous, mainly consisting of their usual feints and block-outs, but what we should be watching out for are their serves. Every single player in Nohebi is known to have a kick in their serves, mostly because they excelled in pinpointing their serves in specific areas of the court. While we have an established defense, their way of defense is mostly aimed at the destruction of their opponent.”

“Those snakes,” Kuroo grumbled, arms crossed against his chest. He remembered last year’s InterHigh where they nearly lost to Nohebi. Oh, how he tried maintaining his patience every time one of their members taunted him because of his hair or stiffness in blocking.

“Fitting for their name, right?” Nekomata laughed, easing the tension from the captain’s shoulder.

“Lastly, Itachiyama Academy, the reigning champion and a usual representative of Tokyo in the nationals.”

The wall looming in front of them, the one preventing their claim in the national stage — Itachiyama Academy.

“Their team boasts one of the top three aces in Japan, Sakusa Kiyoomi, the high school best libero, Komori Motoya, and the Junior Olympic Cup best setter, Iizuna Tsukasa.”

The team seemed to stand straighter, their heads held higher at the mention of the powerhouse school in Tokyo. Some gulped down their rising nervousness (the first-years), some looked ready to strike down the tournament (Taketora, Kuroo, and Yaku), and some remained indifferent (Fukunaga, Kenma, and Kai). Despite the contrasting expressions, all of them shared one thought, to step foot into that large stadium and be one of Tokyo’s representatives. This will most likely lead to the ‘Battle of the Trash Heap’, only if Karasuno fulfilled their end of the bargain.

“That’s about it,” Naoi finished, clapping his hands. “Now let’s continue with the drills.”

“Osu!”

Practice proceeded as usual. While the others did their serves at the other side of the court, Yaku took it upon himself to receive some in an obvious pattern. Yukimi, on the other hand, tallied the number of successful serves each player executed so throughout the practice as she found herself getting dizzy from looking up to the court after crossing a line in her notebook. Because of her preoccupied state, Yukimi squealed when a cold surface stung her left cheek. She uplift her head to look pointedly at the culprit but Kuroo’s grin met her eyes.

“Kuroo?” Yukimi looked around the court to assess the other players while they exerted their efforts in perfecting their serves, but right in front of her is the captain who clearly took a break on his own. She rose an eyebrow at his lazy smirk. “What are you doing here? Are you even supposed to be on break?”

Kuroo shrugged, placing his left hand on his hips and shaking the small bottle of banana milk in his other hand. “Here’s your afternoon dose of banana milk,” he told her. “You look so serious, so I might as well grace you with my presence to ease the tension from your shoulders.” He gazed at her with half-lidded eyes laced with concern. “Something’s up. What happened, Hana?”

Yukimi moist her lips before gulping down the tightness in her throat. She watched as Kuroo continued shaking the bottle of banana milk and handed the beverage to her after inserting the straw on the lid. The intensity from Kuroo’s stare made her look away with flushed cheeks. Surely, he doesn’t have the ability to read her mind, right? Or it could be that her face gave away what her mind has been reeling on about. Whatever the reason, it didn’t change the fact that his sliver of concern set her heart racing (again).

Taking the bottle of banana milk from Kuroo, Yukimi sipped on the cold drink, not bringing her eyes back to the dark-haired lad. As she thoughtfully sipped on her ‘happy drink’, Kuroo smiled and plopped himself beside her, his elbows planted on his knees as he leaned forward to watch his teammates practice.

“Did something happen?” Kuroo asked, his face set forward in assessing his club members. “I know you won’t believe me but when you’re upset about something, your face tends to go blank.” He glanced at Yukimi from the corner of his eyes, his stare soft while taking in her shocked visage — blinking eyes, parted glossy lips, and all. He reached forward and playfully touched her brows, making her reel back a bit. “Despite that, your eyebrows furrow a little.” He gently trailed his fingers down to her cheek until they rest beside her lips. “You purse your lips as well, which I might add is pretty cute.”

Kuroo’s thoughts flew out of his head as he mindlessly cupped Yukimi’s cheek in his palm, which was perfect because it definitely fit in his large hand, was what he thought. With heavy eyes, Kuroo lightly caressed her face, placing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He noticed her face getting warmer, an observation that set warmth blossoming in his heart.

“You can tell me anything,” he told her. “I will always be listening.”

Yukimi stared jaw-slacked at Kuroo but quickly regained herself as she smiled at him — pouring out the immense gratitude she felt for him, as well as the unexplained emotions thundering inside her from the way he tenderly placed his hand on her cheek. Looking away from his gold eyes, Yukimi musingly stared at the floor as she opened her mouth, the words instantly flowing out of her like melted butter.

“You know that Nekoma is leading in Japan’s science camp, right?” She heard the faintest hum from Kuroo, his hand still caressing her cheek, with his eyes softly staring at her as she talked. “And I’ve been a part of it since first year so you could say that it was pretty heavy for me when the date for the science camp was released, and apparently, it’s the same time as the InterHigh. I don’t know why I feel bad about not joining this year and please don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the volleyball club!” Yukimi turned to Kuroo, who looked slightly shocked at her outburst. “It’s just that, scholarships are there and I feel so left behind because the people joining are being offered one.”

“Hey,” Kuroo called out. “We can always talk to the coaches if you really want to go. They’re understanding and they always know when not to impose schedules on students. You can skip InterHigh season, Hana, it’s okay for me—I mean, us—yeah, it’s okay for us, the team.”

Yukimi shrugged, giving Kuroo a small smile. “To think of it, I’d rather settle myself with a bunch of fun people rather than students I haven’t talked with that much.”

Kuroo grinned at her, pinching her cheek in the process, making her narrow her eyes at him. “And we would rather have you with us. You joined the volleyball club so you have to endure it.”

“I might as well have to. I think it’s part of the job description as your manager.”

Kuroo grinned, proud that he was the one responsible for Yukimi joining the club.

“Kuroo-san! Can you help us with the drills?” Yamamoto shouted from the court, making the pair look at him.

“Yamamoto, you idiot! Can’t you see they’re busy? Just call for Kai or Fukunaga!” Yaku yelled from the other side of the net.

“But I want my serves to be like his!”

Kuroo chuckled under his breath, patting Yukimi’s head as he stood up from his seat. “Well, duty calls,” he told her, stretching his arms.

“Sucks to be you, captain,” Yukimi laughed.

“Can you call me that one more time? I think I like it in your voice more.”

“Hush it, your teammates are agitated now,” Yuki deadpanned, glancing at Taketora behind him who was against Yaku in a shouting banter.

“One day, Hana, I’m going to make you call me anything but my last name.”

Yukimi only burst in a fit of laughter, her concerns flying off her mind, as Kuroo beheld a permanent grin on his face while going back to his teammates.

“Now what is it, Yamamoto?” he asked calmly.

“See! You disrupted his time with our precious manager. Now he’s angry because time spent with Yukimi-chan is something to be treasured and enjoyed.”

“I’m afraid I have to add another lap in your running drill, Yaku.”

“He’s not wrong, though.”

“You, too, Kenma?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The schools mentioned in this chapter (namely Hachioji Academy and Kokusai Koko) are real schools found in the Tokyo prefecture. I searched them since there aren't any mention of the Tokyo schools participating in the InterHigh in Haikyuu, well, except for Fukurodani, Nohebi, and Itachiyama, and a few. I was also tempted to add Shinzen and Ubugawa but seeing as the former was found in Saitama and the latter in Kanagawa (which is slightly far from Tokyo), I had to stick with geography.
> 
> So .... thank you for reading !!


	15. SPONTANEOUS HEART-STOPPERS

“Why are we at the library?”

Kuroo scratched his head as he followed Yaku inside the library, the air conditioner’s cold wind slapping him in the face. He would rather lounge inside the gymnasium and do some impromptu practice as a distraction than laze around inside the school library. His serves still needed optimal polishing and it makes him feel agitated that he was currently doing nothing to achieve it. Walking with his hands in his slacks’ pockets, Kuroo pointedly glared at Yaku’s bouncing head skipping inside the library since the libero invited them to spend their vacant period there.

It was a good thing that their teacher for Social Studies didn’t ask for any substitute faculty after announcing through a text message to the class rep that he will be taking the day off. And it was a good thing that he didn’t leave any schoolwork behind — that would be a huge pain the ass.

Yaku only grinned and chuckled. “To enjoy the air conditioners, of course!”

One thing that the libraries offered was the luxury of air conditioners. Nekoma wasn’t like any other school that had the budget to have air conditioning in their classrooms, though they can afford to install it in their faculty rooms, infirmary, and libraries, which is such an unfair thing to the students. Now, the library didn’t have that many people at this time of the day, with only their class having a vacant period. Kuroo could recognize some of his classmates dozing on one of the tables, books covering their sleeping forms. At least, he could do that as well.

“Hey, it’s Yukimi-chan!” Yaku softly exclaimed, catching Kuroo’s attention.

In one of the tables facing the fiction section of the library was the short-haired manager of their club. Yukimi seemed to be engrossed in the book she’s currently reading, her eyebrows furrowed in an adorable frown. Her hair was done in a loose plait, making it look shorter than it originally is, with locks left undone and framing her face. She wasn’t wearing the sweater vest for the day and her long-sleeved sailor uniform accentuated her figure rather well. Her shoes were left on the floor as she wriggled her sock-covered feet beneath the table.

Kuroo was left gawking at her.

His heart pinched in his chest, cheeks heated up as he conspicuously admired her.

“Wah, Yukimi-chan looks so good in the girls’ uniform,” Yaku voiced out, knocking Kuroo out of his trance as he shifted his eyes to his friend. Yaku noticed the judgmental stare of his taller companion and playfully punched him on the arm. “Come on, I know that was one of the reasons why you developed a crush on her in first year since she had longer hair back then.”

Images of Yukimi being a first-year flashed in Kuroo’s head, making him flush a dull pink all the way to the tips of his ears. Has it really been two years since she first smiled at him? Since his young heart became ensnared because of her?

He remembered one afternoon where the three of them (with Yaku and Kai) gathered in 1-2’s classroom, preparing for another afternoon of practice. They decided to have their change of clothes inside the empty classroom, not caring if somebody would come barging in the sliding doors and catch them in their underwear. Kuroo was silently unbuttoning his blazer as Yaku chattered on and on about the cute girls he saw to Kai.

“Say, Class 5 has a really cute girl, right?” Yaku asked Kai vibrantly. “The one with short hair!”

Kai rose his eyebrows in mild interest, unbuttoning his inner shirt. Smiling, he replied, “Oh, really?”

Yaku nodded frantically, raising his hand to indicate the girl’s height. “Yeah, she’s really petite! She’s even the perfect size for me!”

“Yaku, you like girls with short hair, huh?” Kai inquired while taking off his inner shirt, his black shirt now on display.

The libero pointed his forefingers to Kai, a bright grin on his face. “I do!”

“What about you, Kuroo?” Kai turned to Kuroo, who was staring at the bulletin board in a trance.

Suddenly, the door of the classroom slid open with a bang, startling the three boys inside. They looked at the person at the entrance of the room with wide eyes, relieved that they didn’t change into their track pants. Kai had his jaw dropped at the student while Yaku immediately changed his standards right then and there. For Kuroo, the subject of his thoughts stood a couple of feet from him.

“I’m sorry!” the newcomer apologized, bowing slightly. “I didn’t know there are still people inside the room. Excuse me, I’ll just get the camera bag on that desk right there.”

The three didn’t even notice the camera bag on one of the desks by the windows earlier. The long-haired girl silently made her way towards the desk, a fruity fragrance wafting in the air. Once she retrieved the bag, she zipped it open and turned on the camera. Looking like she was checking something on the gadget, the girl furrowed her eyebrows as she adjusted some settings, a lock of hair covering her eyes. The three boys continued staring at her, patiently waiting for her to finish her job.

Straightening her posture, the girl bowed at them with a smile. “Have a nice day!” she bid them, turning towards the door and shutting it close.

Silence stretched in the room until Yaku broke it, expressing his awe at the girl who was just with them. “Did you see her?” he exclaimed with a blush on his face. “Tell me it wasn’t just me who saw that beauty! Man, why didn’t I noticed her at the start of the academic year?”

Kai nodded his agreement. “Now that I think back on it, I overheard some of my classmates talking about a girl in Class 1-2. I think that’s her since she definitely fit their descriptions.”

“Hey, Kuroo, why didn’t you tell me that there’s a beauty in your class, huh?” Yaku taunted the taller boy, who was staring at the door with parted lips. “Planning on keeping her a secret?”

Kuroo never paid them any heed for his attention was still trained on the door where Kazahana Yukimi exited, her smile still fresh in his mind. Earlier that day, the said girl became one of his group mates in a seatwork, this being the reason why he was always in a trance for the rest of the day because her presence was too much for his heart to take. Finally finding his voice after a couple of minutes of silence, Kuroo didn’t look at his friends while uttering the next words.

“Long,” Kuroo breathed his answer, the profile of a familiar girl with long hair curling at the ends burning in his mind. “I prefer long hair.”

The blast from the air conditioner the pair passed by jolted Kuroo back to reality, making him shiver. Rubbing his hands over his blazer covered arms, the taller boy followed Yaku to the table where Yukimi sat. Slowly widening his eyes, Kuroo wanted to tell Yaku that they should find another table without Yukimi occupying it but the shorter third-year already reached her table and greeted her in a bouncing manner. Cursing under his breath, the volleyball captain had no choice but to follow suit.

“Hey, Hana,” he told her with a grin, taking the seat in front of her seeing as Yaku already made himself comfortable on the seat beside the short-haired girl. Placing his chin on his hand, the messy-haired boy leaned forward lazily and gazed at Yukimi with half-lidded eyes. “So you’re here all along, reading?”

Yukimi tore her eyes from the chattering Yaku to look at Kuroo. “What do you expect me to do? Stay in our classroom? You perfectly know how much I prefer the solace of the library, Kuroo.” She then opened her book and went back to reading where she left off, cutting any conversation off from continuing.

Glancing at Yaku for a second, Kuroo stifled a laugh to see his friend already slumping on the table, tiny snores escaping his mouth. Now that the libero decided to sleep, Kuroo laid his head on his folded arms on the table and continued staring at Yukimi, who tucked a lock of hair behind her right ear. No matter how many times he gazed at her, she will always be the prettiest person inside any room in his opinion, and that’s saying something since Kuroo has the tendency to find something bland and boring when he sees it every day. But Yukimi will always be an exception; her and her long eyelashes that fluttered on her cheek whenever she blinked, her eyes that seem to have golden flakes whenever the sun rays hit them, and her lips that beckoned him to brush them against his own—

Kuroo caught himself from thinking any more thoughts that will cross the line he had set ever since he started falling hard for this girl. Though, he couldn’t help it if she sat there exquisitely as she bit her lip in a pressed smile. With heated cheeks, the messy-haired boy burrowed the lower half of his face in his arms, his eyes never wavering from her smiling face. Clearing his throat ever so slightly, Kuroo gathered enough courage to say the words that he always wanted to tell her since the day he laid his eyes on her.

“You’re stunningly beautiful, Hana.”

The way Kuroo spoke the words made Yukimi’s heart dance in a series of beats. It’s as if the utterance was so fragile that Kuroo had to speak it in such fondness and tenderness that sent waves of warmth to her. It made her stop reading only to stare at Kuroo with a stunned expression, her book left ajar on her lap. Pretty sure her whole face resembled that of a strawberry as Kuroo continued his droopy gaze, his usual half-lidded look becoming soft around the corners, indicating that he was smiling under his arms.

“I’m not sure if I directly told you this,” Kuroo started, his voice becoming a whisper. “But I want you to know how captivating you are. You have my heart because of that.”

There he goes again with the cryptic confessions that rendered Yukimi confused. She doesn’t have an inkling if there were any concealed romantic undertones in his declaration but being the unassuming person she was, Yukimi was in disbelief at the thought of Kuroo liking her. The possibility of him being an overconfident flirt still resonated in her mind, reminding her to never reciprocate his resolve in capturing her heart that easily. For God’s sake, she just recently got over a long-time infatuation, she doesn’t want another heartbreak just yet. But thinking on it, it was Kuroo who told her to fall in love with him and if she does, Yukimi wouldn’t dare know the consequences.

Kuroo would just have to be responsible for making her open up her heart to another person because right now, she’s starting to let herself be pulled in to him.

Yukimi composed herself at Kuroo’s compliment but her voice came out in a stutter, her pulsing heartbeat thrumming in her ears. “T—Thank you, Kuroo,” she mumbled with flushed cheeks, ducking down to her book to avoid his eyes. Where was she? Oh, the part where the main character became flustered by the unexpected comment by one of the male leads. Great, this seems fitting in her situation.

“Hey, why did you cut your hair?” Kuroo asked randomly. He had always wondered why the girl appeared in their entrance ceremony with her hair touching the juncture where her neck and shoulder meet.

“To be honest,” Yukimi replied, taking her eyes off her book to return Kuroo’s stare. “It’s the salon’s fault. I specifically told them to only trim it but I think their definition of trim is to chop it all off. Now, I have to admit, I kind of regretted it but having short hair definitely has its perks.”

“It still suits you,” Kuroo chuckled. “You know, I miss seeing you in your long hair. I would’ve have played with it this year if you still have it.” His fantasies of playing with Yukimi’s hair while at class will have to remain as fantasies seeing as the girl’s hair will probably take months to grow back. But he doesn’t care now, to be honest.

“That’s unfortunate,” Yukimi laughed. “And speaking of hair, your bedhead always makes me curious. How do you achieve that so effortlessly?” She placed down her book after inserting her bookmark, leaning forward a little with a smile.

Kuroo snorted, burrowing his head further into his arms before regarding the short-haired girl in amusement. “Kenma actually gave an explanation of that to the other club members but all I have to say is that I roll so much in bed. I sleep with my head under my pillow all the time so I guess it stuck since I was a kid. But Kenma phrased it comically, saying that I intentionally place the side of my pillows to cover my ears. I don’t know where he got that but it’s a great story to tell the underclassmen.”

A funny picture of Kuroo sleeping on his back with a frustrated expression, the two sides of his pillow pressed against the sides of his head, entered Yukimi’s mind, making her chortle behind her hand. Her shoulders shook in silent laughter while the messy-haired boy in front of her started to chuckle. Now sobering up, Yukimi took a deep breath as she mimicked Kuroo’s position, placing her head on her folded arms on the table, flashing a smile at him that reached her eyes.

With a thumping heartbeat, Kuroo admired Yukimi once again.

“Can I hold your hand?” Kuroo whispered after a few moments of comfortable silence.

He wanted to bury himself in his blazer as embarrassment blanketed over him since Yukimi only stared at him wide eyes, her cheeks mirroring the shade of red painted over his cheeks. Well, except for the part that his blush reached his ears.

Yukimi gave him the tiniest of nods and that was all Kuroo needed.

Stretching out his right arm from its folded position under his left one, he reached over the table and gently took Yukimi’s hand. Without taking his eyes off her, he played with her fingers before bringing her hand to his lips, kissing the pads of her fingers as tenderly as he can. As Kuroo kissed every finger, he noticed that Yukimi’s eyes sparkled with a distinct emotion that unintentionally made his heart beat erratically under his blazer. Taking the stunned look on Yukimi’s face as an indication to keep going, Kuroo smiled, his golden irises clashing with her saccharine caramels.

Then, Kuroo covered her hand with his and inserted his fingers through the gaps of hers. His face held a permanent grin as he glanced at their hands, the size difference making him giddy. For being a short girl at the age of eighteen, Kuroo always noticed how adorable her hands are every time she would raise them in class or in practices. And now, his hand practically dwarfed hers on the table. Yes, there was a time when he held her hand (during his indirect confession) but there wasn’t any room in his brain to admire how her hand fits with his, seeing as he was malfunctioning that time. He proceeded to rub his thumb against the side of her hand, lifting her hand toward him, once again placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

This would be the perfect time to confess, to say those three words, but for some reason, Kuroo couldn’t do it. Not that he questioned his feelings, he is still irrevocably in love with Yukimi, that he was sure. Something lodged itself in his throat that made him stop in uttering the words that he wouldn’t be able to take back.

For now, he only continued holding her hand, rubbing it soothingly, until she closed her eyes slowly. Lifting his head from his free arm, he quietly took his phone out from his blazer pocket. Opening his camera app, Kuroo carefully took a photo of Yukimi’s sleeping face with a grin. He captured too many shots of her sleeping mien in different angles that he probably couldn’t pick a photo for his wallpaper later on. Then, he took a picture of her and their joined hands, his smile not erased from his face.

Satisfied with the photos, Kuroo placed his phone on the table and went back to his previous position, finding himself falling asleep to the steady thrum of the air conditioners and the flipping of pages from the other tables. He unconsciously smiled when he felt a hand softly running on his head, not witnessing the softened gaze Yukimi was giving him as she lightly threads her fingers through his hair, admiring his peaceful visage.

* * *

The entire classroom was plunged in an atmosphere of anxiousness as the adviser of Class 3-5 stood in front of the room with a bunch of stapled and small strips of papers in hand. Ah, the day of the exam results and the day the student rankings will be posted. Some of the occupants of the room bit their nails in agitation, some were straight as a rod with sweat dripping down their foreheads, and some waited patiently in their seat while doodling the back of their notebook, while some leaned back in their chair with droopy eyes.

Yukimi absentmindedly scratched her pencil in a sketch on her notebook, her chin placed on her hand. After those heart-stopping moments in the library earlier, her mind became muddled while following Kuroo and Yaku to their classroom, her hands still joined with the former. Oh, how she wanted to melt when her classmates bore their stares at Kuroo and her. Yaku seemed to be unaffected by it as he made a beeline to his desk just before the teacher strolled in. And now, Yukimi found herself mindlessly drawing a familiar face.

She stiffened when she realized the familiar face structure and hair which seemed to cover the right part of the person’s face. Quickly placing a hand to hide it, Yukimi felt her heart race at the pounding thought that she drew Kuroo on her notebook.

Noticing that Yukimi’s shoulders were raised tensely, Kuroo stopped leaning back in his chair to poke the girl on the back, making her elicit a low shriek. He rose an eyebrow at her red face when she looked over her shoulder. “You seem tense,” he noted. “Didn’t I tell you you’ll be passing with flying marks, as usual? Or is it for another reason?” He leaned forward to look over the girl’s shoulder but she immediately closed her notebook, making him confused.

“It’s nothing,” she managed to reply, her hand firmly placed on top of her notebook.

Kuroo directed his gaze at the notebook in suspicion. His heart suddenly clenched, remembering the sketch of Romio in between the pages of her physics textbook. Was she drawing him again? Well, he couldn’t blame her. As much as the girl tried to convince herself and the people around her, it was quite obvious that she still had feelings left for Romio. If there comes a day when Kuroo will experience heartbreak from chasing Yukimi for a sliver of reciprocation, he will find it hard for him to move on so there wasn't any fault in Yukimi's actions. It was clear as day for Kuroo and there was nothing he could do but watch her spare glances at the brown-haired boy beside her or witness her having civil conversations with the aforementioned boy.

His chance of being with her thinned out like a piece of string and Kuroo tried so hard for it not to break.

“Akagi Kira,” the teacher called out from the front of the classroom.

Every hint of conversation ceased inside the classroom as the girl named Akagi Kira stood up from the front to accept her exam papers. The said girl was seen letting out a sigh of relief, the tension from waiting vanished as she finally saw her test results. Some of their classmates asked her what marks she got from the subjects while the others gulped down the knots in their throats as the second student was called to the front, his face looking dejected at his exam papers.

As the students being called neared to the letter ‘K’, Yukimi’s palms became clammy and shaky. It also didn't help when Romio stood up from his seat to take his exam papers. Clenching her fist, she never lifts up her gaze from her desk, waiting for the moment their teacher announced the syllables of her name. As much as she tried to calm herself down, the anxiety bubbled in her stomach and rose to her throat, making her dizzy.

“Kazahana Yukimi.”

Yukimi stood up from her seat, schooling her features in a blank one. Her heartbeat continued thundering in her ears as she neared the teacher’s table. The whispers as she walked past the desks made her stomach churn with nerves.

“Ah, it’s Kazahana’s turn.”

“Watch her be the top student for midterms.”

“No, I think it would be Kuroo-kun this time, I just have a feeling.”

“And you call yourself Kazahana-san’s classmate? She will be first in the student ranking, believe me.”

There it is, the feeling of disappointing others, making her lips pursed in distaste. This is why Yukimi hated being known. Through the years of studying with the purpose of never failing, the next thing she realized was that she claimed the top spot, which she didn’t even want. And brought with this are the expectations of others, whether it be her teachers, classmates, or parent (except that her mother never showed pressure when it comes to academics, which she is thankful for). Expectations that she vowed she would meet. She doesn’t even know if her only reason for maintaining her class standing was to please others with her prowess or for herself and her future.

Now standing in front of her teacher, Yukimi carefully took the paper with her eyes trained on the floor, never gazing on her results and class standing. She will view it with Kuroo later.

“Congratulations, Kazahana-san,” her teacher smiled warmly at her, a proud glint in the older woman’s eyes. “Keep up the great work.”

Walking back to her seat with a face devoid of any emotion, Yukimi didn’t mind the lingering stares sent her way. She caught one of her classmates saying that maybe her class standing dropped a couple of ranks, the reason why she looked gaunt. Rolling her eyes as she ducked down a little while taking her seat, Yukimi jumped when Kuroo poked her on the back once again.

“Hey, how’d you do?” Kuroo asked her, eyebrows furrowed.

“I didn’t know yet,” Yukimi replied with a smile. “I was waiting for you to receive your exam papers, thought it would be a good idea for us to know our results together.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened before grinning, his eyes sparkled with adoration for the girl. “It really is a perfect idea,” he told her. After a few seconds, he looked up when their adviser called for him. He then winked at Yukimi while standing up. “Wait for me, okay?”

Yukimi nodded at him, her eyes soft as she followed Kuroo with her gaze. The messy-haired boy scratched his head after hearing the words of congratulations coming from the teacher. Never once did she look away when Kuroo walked back to his seat, his half-lidded eyes also boring into hers. She managed a low chuckle when Kuroo waved his exam paper with a wink.

Now that everyone received their exams, the adviser clapped her hands in front of the class to gain their attention. “I must say, everyone managed a high score this exam season,” she started, her eyes showing how proud she is as the adviser of one of the college preparatory classes. “I wanted to say congratulations to those who managed a spot in the ten leading ranks and always remember to keep up the good work in maintaining your standings. For those who managed to have a failing grade, please put into your minds that you have room and time to improve. The student rankings will be posted on the school’s bulletin board at dismissal. Have a nice day ahead, students!”

“Thank you, sensei!” the whole class chorused, standing up and bowing at their teacher.

The moment she walked out the sliding door, the entire class erupted in excited conversations, asking their friends if they did well in their exams. There were students crying because they needed to take supplementary lessons and some were rejoicing that they picked their marks up from their failing grades last academic year.

As for Yukimi, she immediately stood up to face Kuroo, who was already standing beside her desk with a large grin.

“On the count of three, Hana,” the messy-haired boy told her.

Yukimi nodded with a smile.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

Yukimi looked down on the small strip of paper and she felt her eyes widen, her heart thundering louder and louder. “Oh, my God,” she breathed. The number ‘1’ was typed out under the header of ‘ranking’ with her grades laid out on the boxes beside it. All of her grades were graded to be exemplary, with a stamped ‘S’ beside each grade for the midterms. She was shaking in her spot as she gripped on the papers on her hand.

“Well,” Kuroo cackled, showing Yukimi his small strip of paper. “Hello, fellow first-placer.”

Warmth enveloped her as she saw the same number ‘1’ on Kuroo’s paper. She was overjoyed at the thought of them exchanging their exam papers so she wrapped her arms around Kuroo’s shoulders, surprising the taller boy and making him steady her with a firm hand on her waist, his laugh booming in her ear. However, when she heard a distinct thump from the boy’s chest, Yukimi immediately became red in the face, straightening herself. Now looking up at him, with both of their chests pressed together, Yukimi smiled.

“You did it again. We’re tied again!”

“Yeah!” Kuroo cheered along with her, his laugh following afterward. “You know, one would think that we passed the upcoming college examinations with your reaction.”

The girl shrugged. “What can I say? The idea of us being in the same rank together makes me happy.”

Kuroo then took his hand from her waist, placing it on his face to cover his growing blush. Their close proximity plus her words made him malfunction, thoughts flying out of his head and only processing her declaration. She’s this happy to know that somebody shares the same rank as her?

“Am I interrupting something?” Yaku materialized beside the pair, a teasing yet knowing smile plastered on his face. He took a glance at the volleyball captain and snickered while pointing at his own ears, indicating that Kuroo’s ears looked ready to melt. The shorter male then turned to the bright short-haired girl in front of Kuroo. “Congratulations on being first, Yukimi-chan! Oh, and you too, Kuroo.”

“Thank you, Yaku-san!” she cheered.

“How are your marks, Yakkun?” Kuroo managed to ask, his eyes narrowed at the teasing grin still painted on his friend’s lips.

Yaku had a bright grin on his face as he showed them his strip of paper. “You’re not the only one in the top ranks,” he proudly stated, the number ‘8’ stamped at the end of his paper.

“Congratulations, Yaku-san!” Yukimi told him.

“You’re not a dimwit, after all, Yakkun,” Kuroo snickered, his eyes jeering at Yaku, making the shorter boy direct a glare at him.

“Says the one who looked like our jersey earlier,” Yaku shouted at the taller boy’s face.

“Oh, you’re really going there, huh?!”

“So what if I am?! I already gave you my blessings but why aren’t you doing anything? Are you that slow?!”

Kuroo bristled at Yaku’s comment. “Is that a personal attack? You know perfectly well why I couldn’t exactly make a move, Yakkun!” the messy-haired boy whined, looking down on Yaku, not registering the fact that Yukimi was perfectly listening to their exchange with a laugh bubbling up her throat.

Yukimi knows what the pair is bickering about, the proof lining up since the day she confessed to Romio. Of course, she wasn’t a dense person but she wasn’t an assuming one either. Yes, Kuroo was clouding her judgment with his mixed signals and subtle confessions and it was making her develop something for the messy-haired boy. To be honest, she doesn’t even know if what she was starting to feel for Kuroo can connote anything romantic at all since it was different from what she felt towards Romio. First off, she wasn’t assured of Kuroo’s actions and now, she was also not assured of her own thoughts and feelings.

But time will tell, that she was sure of.


	16. THE CATS' REVIVAL.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, this is long overdue but here is the new chapter! happy reading, everyone!

There are a lot of things that have occurred in the following days leading to the InterHigh tournament.

For starters, the volleyball club trained and trained even on the weekends, which was tiring in Yukimi’s opinion, with her being the sole witness of the exhausted club members. However, even though the training looked Spartan-like, Yukimi couldn’t deny that it made the boys appear bigger and stronger than they originally were. It even made her understand the team’s dynamics more. She was inwardly glad to witness the team grow in their own way during their practices.

And with the morning and afternoon practices in the equation, the pep rallies of the clubs commenced as scheduled, which was at the start of June. It was somewhat endearing to see all the members on stage while Kuroo gave his speech from behind the podium, engaging them to join their club or even be the second manager. Though, it seems that Taketora managed to rile up Yaku with his funny faces while Kuroo kept talking to the student body.

Yukimi also noted the changes in each member; noticing how Kenma tried matching his sets with any of his teammates, with the two-toned boy setting high enough for Kuroo or just right for the other members, or noticing how Kuroo continued practicing his back row attack that seemed to have worked well in their practice match with Karasuno, or even the extra training Shibayama got from Yaku. There were times where Nekomata also asked for her input, which she dutifully relayed. The older man would eventually thank her for being the reliable manager she always is, which will always make her flush in embarrassment, seeing as every member agreed instantaneously with utmost enthusiasm.

This always happens as another day got crossed out in the calendar, nearing InterHigh.

With their preliminaries set later than the other prefectures, Yukimi received a call from Daichi one Sunday night. It was when she just entered her room after taking a bath that her phone blared on her night table. However, her cheery greeting was returned half-heartedly, making her realize that that day was the second day of Miyagi’s preliminaries. And from Daichi’s scratchy voice telling her what happened, Yukimi was left in disbelief, knowing that Karasuno lost their ticket to advance to the nationals. This earned quite a few reactions from the Nekoma volleyball club, with Kuroo keeping to himself throughout the Monday practices.

She could only watch from the other side of the court as the captain’s hopes of reenacting the ‘Battle of the Trash Heap’ were once again pushed back.

The week before the preliminaries, Yukimi agreed to meet up with the captain of the cheering squad of Nekoma. She wanted to lend them the club banner, asking them for help in putting it up prior to the start of the games. There she met Taketora’s energetic little sister, Akane, who was apparently Nekoma’s cheering squad captain and who nearly combusted at the sight of the manager. Yukimi even invited her to go to the café she previously ate with Kuroo and Kenma as a way to thank her in advance for being a great help to the club. The poor junior high student never uttered a complete sentence when the idolized senior of the junior high department sat in front of her, making Yukimi try to engage her in a conversation with a light atmosphere.

As for her interactions with Kuroo, the boy seemed to find some time in his already busy schedule to worry for her. Every after practice, Kuroo and Kenma walked her back to her home, which she was beginning to feel guilty of since she would overhear the second-year setter complain about how tiring their practice for the day was (this would be assured by the said setter that it was fine to walk her home since he worries for her, too). This will then be departed with a kiss on the cheek, followed by an affectionate ruffle of her hair, making Yukimi enter her house with a flushed face. The captain would also pull her into one of the benches in the school’s courtyard or even help her in their piled-up school works, which is kind of a hassle at this time of the month.

The short-haired manager noticed how the two of them became close, to the extent that she allows Kuroo to play with her hand during breaks in practices or even to buy him his energy drink from the vending machines after training or during class breaks. She was starting to notice the tiny things that would make Kuroo smile, whether it be a passing by dog, Kenma interacting more with the other members, or a successful block in one of the practice matches.

It’s starting to grow on her.

Now, a night before the preliminaries, Yukimi just came back from taking a bath when her phone rang. After checking on the contact name, Yukimi answered the call with a smile. “Hello, Kuroo,” she addressed softly.

She heard a window sliding open, the gust of wind blowing through her phone’s speaker. “Hi, Hana,” Kuroo’s voice greeted her ear, harboring shakiness which she anticipated for the boy became quieter during their last practice earlier in the day. A few seconds passed by and Yukimi patiently waited for the boy to continue talking. “Let’s watch the moon together tonight.” A chuckle resonated from the other line. “Since I can’t seem to calm myself down.”

Yukimi let out a low laugh, walking to the sliding door leading to her balcony. Welcoming the night breeze, she leaned forward on the railing and did as Kuroo told her, wistfully looking up at the moon. It was covered by tendrils of clouds and yet it seemed to glow ceremoniously over the cityscape in front of her. The song of the crickets went on as the short-haired girl relished the rain of moonlight over her, her phone still tucked on her ear.

“Isn’t it beautiful tonight?” Kuroo’s deep voice whispered to her ear, making her heart race.

A smile lifted Yukimi’s lips. “Yeah, it is.”

It was a perfect night and a clear one that Yukimi always adores. The very first time she watched the moon was with her father and it was on the rooftop of their old house back in Miyagi. In fact, her father was the reason why she gained a fascination with the celestial body, telling her stories that the moon has the ability to grant a person’s wish. She laughed at this back then, retaliating that the shooting stars are the ones responsible for those but her father persuaded her successfully when he vividly narrated that for every full phase, the moon would let people channel its power to grant those wishes.

Right now, Yukimi wished for nothing more than to grant Nekoma success for this year’s InterHigh preliminaries.

Then, a familiar tune gradually increasing its volume from the other line caught Yukimi’s attention. She couldn’t seem to pinpoint where she heard it but it gave her a blanket of nostalgia as Kuroo continued humming it to her ear. For some reason, this made her stomach flutter, knowing that the messy-haired boy calling her never gave away his singing voice just like that, which is such a waste since he can averagely reach some notes that other males in their school couldn’t. Taking this as a chance to wash away her nerves and to free herself from her worries, Yukimi closed her eyes and hummed along with Kuroo — that was until he started singing the lyrics.

“Isn’t that the song the choir performed last year in the school festival?” Yukimi asked Kuroo.

The boy laughed on the other line, a laugh that sent pleasantness to her. “Did you forget that you’re one of those choir members who sang this song?” he teasingly crooned at her. “I can still envision you on that stage singing your solo. God, you were like an angel at that time.”

“Mm-hmm.”

She heard Kuroo cough, stuttering his reply, making her laugh out loud. “You’re like an angel every single day, Hana, I assure you — but, that one time — it made you shine more.”

Yukimi ducked down and placed her chin on her folded arm, her eyes now overlooking the neighborhood. “And you also shine when you’re on the court, Kuroo,” she softly replied. “You always talk about how I amaze you, you just don’t know how much you astound me. I mean, you’re this hotshot volleyball player and you’re one of the top students in Nekoma and the one person you adore is a confusing mess.”

“You’re not a confusing mess and will ever be a confusing mess,” Kuroo retaliated, his voice firm from the speakers. “Heck, I can present an annotated document on why you’re the one the volleyball club admires.” For a moment, the two of them only laughed, the sight of the club members rambling on about their manager lifting up her mood. “But wait, from what you said, it seems like you also adore me, Hana. Don’t tell me you like me, huh?”

The short-haired girl looked incredulously at the phone, clearly seeing Kuroo wiggling his eyebrows with a smirk. “Don’t worry,” she started. “I am not of the girls who confessed to you, Kuroo.” _Yet._ She bristled at the word, taken aback for sprouting out of nowhere. Trying to compose herself, Yukimi thought about other things to shake off the image of her professing her love to Kuroo. Like that would happen. “But if you’re having doubts right now because InterHigh will start tomorrow, I want you to know that — Kuroo, you’ll always be a star out there for me.”

A sharp intake of breath came out from her phone, making her chuckle. She waited patiently for him to answer and when he did, her heart palpitated.

“Then let me burn bright for you,” Kuroo breathed.

After a few minutes of only staring at the moon, Kuroo continued talking, “To be honest, I don’t find any purpose in playing for InterHigh. Karasuno lost in their preliminaries, so my reason for going to the nationals was gone. All I wanted was for Coach Nekomata to witness the iconic ‘Battle of the Trash Heap’ again and it’s making me guilty that my reason for nationals this year has become so shallow, that I didn’t even consider the thoughts and drive of the other members.” He groaned before taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry for rambling, Hana, but knowing that you’re there listening for me makes me want to pour out my worries.”

Yukimi perfectly understood Kuroo’s sentiments. Every single one of them was bummed to know that their countryside rivals never made it to the finals, even her. Just remembering Daichi’s voice that night holding in a sob during their call made her cry. It made her look back to when his team lost in middle school, pinching her chest in hurtful squeezes. Add to that the usual question for third-years around the country whenever they engage in clubs in their final year — ‘do you still want to partake in the club’s activities?’ She had no choice but to advise him that it would be better for him to continue being the club’s captain, knowing that Daichi will never let what happened on the second day of InterHigh get to him.

“Kuroo,” she called out, briefly closing her eyes when the breeze picked up, blowing her hair away from her face. “Can I give you a little insight?”

“Go ahead, Hana.”

“You thinking of your reason for wanting to be in the nationals,” Yukimi paused to direct her eyes to the sky, “can be partially true but I know that it lies deeper than that. You’re a remarkable captain to your club members, Kuroo. It’s not that you didn’t notice their drive for this year’s InterHigh, maybe you only let yourself believe that the only thing keeping you going is the thought of facing Karasuno in an official match. I am here to assure you that you’re playing for your team and for yourself, and facing your rivals in the future is an added bonus to that. You might not know this but I heard you back in year one telling the volleyball club that you want to battle in the nationals, way back when you just joined and when you didn’t even know the relationship between Karasuno and Nekoma.

“So I say, stop moping around and be the captain Nekoma needs right now,” Yukimi finished, her tone still light yet set in a playful scold. “And, Kuroo,” when she heard a husky hum from the other line, she took a deep breath, “I will always be cheering for you so do your best tomorrow.”

Kuroo chuckled, probably shaking his head from where he is. “I couldn’t thank you enough, Hana. God, just hearing your voice the moment you picked up the call calmed me down, and hearing you say those words, you practically healed me.” Yukimi can hear the grin from his voice. “Prepare to have yourself blown away tomorrow.”

“I already readied myself, Kuroo,” Yukimi replied with a laugh. “Kenma told me to since he seemed to be worried about me meeting your friends from the other schools.”

“Oh!” Kuroo perked up. “I can’t wait for you to meet Bokuto and the others. There will never be a dull moment when you’re with them.” His laugh made Yukimi smile. Once he sobered up, his voice turned low. “Watch out for any member of Nohebi, I don’t want those snakes to be near you.”

“Is your relationship with them that bad?”

She heard Kuroo scoff. “You don’t even know, Hana. There’s something about them that irks me, especially their captain. Though, my worries are lessened now that I heard he has a girlfriend. But you and your attractive qualities, any boy would take a second look on you.”

“Finding boys during tournaments is not the reason why I agreed to be your manager,” Yukimi sighed. “And I don’t care if _any boy would take a second look on me_.” She then mimicked Kuroo’s voice at the end of her sentence.

“I’m just saying because have you seen yourself, Hana?!” Kuroo exclaimed.

The short-haired girl rolled her eyes playfully. “Oh, here we go again.”

The night went on and the two never stopped talking with each other. Yukimi was amazed at how timed seemed to fly during Kuroo’s call. Their topics ranged from Kuroo proving to her how attractive she is (which she didn’t exactly believe), to their required papers since finals are looming right after InterHigh (which Kuroo complained about, saying that the club deserved a good rest after the tournament), and to random subjects like how did Taketora manage his hairstyle for a year or the condition of the tentative club member. It was lighthearted and Yukimi was grateful that Kuroo didn’t bring up quitting the club after InterHigh or her sleep would have gone for the worst.

She didn’t know if she could answer that when people expected her to focus her attention on the upcoming college entrance examinations. She didn’t have the strength to turn down the volleyball club, knowing that they have become one of the best things that happened to her in the academic year. The only thing that she could do at the moment was let herself be enveloped by a deep humming voice that was imprinted in her mind, playing on loop and soothing her in a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Once again, Yukimi woke up without her mother in the house. Though, the older woman still manages to brighten up her morning with her favorite breakfast and bento on the countertop and a noticeable note on the refrigerator. With her belongings already organized the day before, Yukimi proceeded to eat her breakfast without much thought, her gaze blankly implanted on the countertop as she munched and swallowed the omurice. Right after finishing her meal, the short-haired girl stood up and washed the plate.

Deciding to read the note Natsumi left later when she was about to go out, Yukimi went to prepare herself a bath, a thing that normally woke her up. Now done with her bath, the short-haired girl proceeded to change into a white shirt and her Nekoma track pants, her mind still in a sluggish pace. With her red manager jacket worn over her shirt, Yukimi ran a brush through her hair, untangling her blow-dried hair. As she continued brushing it, the sudden memory of Kuroo running his hand through the strands of her hair jolted her to wake up, her profile on the mirror now displaying red cheeks.

Cursing under her breath for the misleading thoughts, Yukimi turned around and slung the bag full of her necessities over her shoulder, exiting her room in the process. Trudging down the stairs, she directly went to the kitchen to place her wrapped bento in her bag, take out another small bottle of banana milk from the refrigerator, and read what her mother wrote for the day. She found herself grinning as she read the note, taking continuous sips of her banana milk. Her mother knew that today was the first day of InterHigh so she carefully wrote a bunch of encouraging messages to her, even though Yukimi’s position in the club is only the manager.

After bidding her father’s picture a goodbye, Yukimi locked the house and strode toward the train station. Nothing happened much during her short travel to Nekoma High since Kuroo told her beforehand that he and Kenma will be making their way to school a little earlier than usual so she relished her time alone, mindlessly staring at the scenery she passed by. She can let out a breath of relief, knowing that there wasn’t anyone teasing her so early in the morning.

Finally reaching the gates of Nekoma, Yukimi unconsciously smiled when she laid her eyes on the minibus that was assigned to take the volleyball club to the venue. As she approached the vehicle, she could see Fukunaga standing silently beside the door of the minibus while the first-years talked among themselves, their nervous states visible from where she is. But a certain person talking to the coaches made her heart race and his back was apparently turned to her. Silently padding her way towards the other members, Yukimi greeted back the chorus of ‘good morning’s, her smile so large at the sight of her underclassmen. Probably surprised at the sudden change of atmosphere, Yukimi found herself staring right at Kuroo’s sparkling golden eyes, his conversation with the coaches already finished.

“Good morning, Kuroo,” she greeted him with a smile while running her hand through her hair, making it cover the right side of her face. She then turned to the two coaches. “Good morning, Coach Nekomata, Coach Naoi.”

As Yukimi talked with the two coaches, Kuroo found himself to be captivated by the manager. Everything seemed to dissolve as his gaze hyperfocused on the smiling short-haired girl. Their phone call last night was something he started treasuring, making him giddy as he traveled to their school (Kenma was looking at him with an expressive scrunched-up face because Kuroo never had a smile that early in the morning). One reason for his trance, he noticed, was the atmosphere the third-year girl seemed to exude, and judging from the reactions of the other club members, it looked like he wasn’t the only one delving on it.

“Is it just me? Or it seems like _kirei-_ senpai looked more radiant than usual?” Taketora murmured with a prominent blush as he joined Kuroo’s gawking.

Yaku nodded, his arms crossed over his puffed chest with a proud smile. “Our manager is just so refreshing to look at, I feel like I can receive pretty well later in the games if she’s so focused on the match. I want her to admire my skills!”

“Me, too, Yaku-san!” Inuoka vibrantly exclaimed, his arms raised in the air.

“There’s no denying that,” Kai agreed, his smile rather fatherly as he regarded the only girl in the club. “She’s our good luck charm after all.”

Taketora shuddered as if a thought just crashed into his mind. “So that means,” he stated in a grave voice, catching the attention of the other club members, “there will be a lot of work to do later.” His eyes then narrowed in front of him, with the first-years and Yaku surprisingly catching his cryptic message.

Kenma sighed while Kai can only laugh. “You know, I’m more worried about the people in the venue if this is the enthusiasm our team has when it comes to protecting Yukimi-san,” Kai jokingly stated.

Kuroo sighed, averting his eyes from Yukimi and now directing them towards his teammates. “Oi, you dimwitted idiots,” he called out, stiffening the others’ posture. “I expect you to be at your best behavior once we’re out there to play with the big guys, alright?” This earned him a loud ‘osu’, eliciting a low chuckle from him. “And no intimidating the other teams just because they stepped within a three-meter radius with Hana. I’m looking at you, Yamamoto.” Kuroo’s eyes shot a piercing stare on the second-year, making him salute immediately.

“Apply that to yourself, Kuroo,” Kenma jabbed with his leveled yet soft-spoken voice, his attention drilled onto the game in his hands.

The volleyball club captain choked. “What did you just eat during breakfast?!” he exclaimed. “What’s in it to make you attack me like that? I didn’t even reprimand you for playing games at this hour.”

“Everyone, get on the van!” Naoi announced from the door of the minibus with his hand cupped around his mouth. “We’ll be going to Sumida City Gymnasium so get yourselves seated!”

The entire volleyball team chattered while getting on the vehicle, most of them scampering to get the individual seats by the window; with Kenma walking quickly towards one of the vacant individual seats with a dangerous glint in his eyes, leaving behind Kuroo to stand on the aisle, dumbfounded. Roaming his eyes on the empty seats, which appeared to be the pair ones, his heart lurched when he saw that a vacant one beside Yukimi beckoned him forward. Plopping down on the seat silently, Kuroo poked the girl on the shoulder, making her jolt from her trance on the window while taking out one of her earphones from her ear.

Smiling at the dark-haired boy, Yukimi chuckled at the sight of the attractive captain beside her. Ignoring the pitter-patter of her heart, the short-haired girl took out her right earphone and held it to him. However, Kuroo’s wide eyes looked adorable to her so she laughed and did the job of putting it in his ear, a soothing indie song entering his auditory perceptions. She looked away from him and proceeded to stare out the window, the morning traffic making the travel jog a lot slower than usual. While her whole attention gradually becomes a reverie, Yukimi didn’t notice it when Kuroo gently took out her earphones to whisper in her ear, away from the eavesdropping ears of the team.

“Can I hold your hand again?”

With flushed cheeks, Yukimi slowly turned her head to him but the proximity between them made her stop short. Kuroo’s half-lidded eyes never wavered from hers until his gaze lowered gingerly and stopped on her parted lips. His intense stare made her self-conscious, making her purse her lips. It made Kuroo moist his own before opening them again in a soft question.

“Can I, Hana?”

Without much thought, Yukimi nodded her head.

“You don’t have to ask, Kuroo.” A brilliant smile painted itself on Yukimi’s face, making him bashfully smile a little.

Kuroo carefully returned the earphone in her ear, brushing her hair in the process. He then threaded his slender fingers through hers, placing their joined hands on his lap. Proceeding to tenderly rub his thumb on the side of her small hand, the messy-haired captain eyed their hands with a fond gaze. The entire thirty-minute ride towards Sumida City Gymnasium never felt this amazing for Kuroo. He found himself closing his eyes for a moment with his head settled on the backrest as the feeling of her hand reciprocating the caresses on his own put a smile on his face, the acoustic instrumental adding to heartwarming situation.

It was all he ever needed before the jitters overcome his stomach during the first round of InterHigh.

Finally, the minibus made its stop in one of the free spaces of the huge gymnasium’s parking lot, spurring everyone to stand up and make a single file out of the vehicle. Kuroo stretched before lending a hand to Yukimi, pulling her up from her seat. The two then followed the rest down the minivan to retrieve their bags from the compartment section.

“Yukimi-san! Here’s your bag and the cooler,” Naoi told her once the girl stood within the huddle.

“Thank you, Coach Naoi,” Yukimi expressed her gratitude, slinging her bag over her shoulder while gripping the cooler filled with water bottles tight in her other hand. Weighing it carefully, the short-haired girl smiled when she didn’t find any difficulty in lifting the cooler with one hand.

“Slap me, Yaku-san!” Taketora’s voice boomed as the group walked towards the entrance of the gymnasium. “I’m starting to feel like this is a dream!”

“What did I tell you, Yamamoto?” Kuroo’s deep voice interjected, his hands snug inside the pockets of his red jacket as he narrowed his eyes.

Taketora looked down like a kicked puppy. “To be at our best behavior.”

“As you should, Yamamoto,” Yaku nodded.

“Now, now,” Kai soothed. “We can’t exactly blame Yamamoto since all of us feel the same as him today.”

“I’m getting pumped up now!” Inuoka exclaimed with his fist raised in the air.

“Me, too!” Shibayama chirped from beside the lanky first-year.

Entering the gymnasium’s athlete-filled lobby, their arrival garnered a few straying eyes. Their red jackets were probably one of the reasons why their team gained quite a reaction just by entering. And with them being one of the known schools specializing in defense, Nekoma’s volleyball club left some murmurs in their wake.

“Hey, look, it’s Nekoma,” a member of one team whispered to his teammates, nudging him rather hard on the side.

“Neko—what?” came the reply as he perplexedly stared at the team with the scarlet motif.

“Dude, you really don’t know them? They’re practically one of the best in defense in the prefecture.”

“A Mohawk?!” a member of another team squawked at the sight of Taketora, who sneered at everyone looking intently at their way.

“Hey, that tall guy looks kind of scary,” another voice whispered while pointing at Kuroo.

But when the profile of a certain short-haired girl came into view, almost all of the eyes trained on the volleyball club members went her way. Despite the drilling stares, Yukimi continued walking beside Kuroo, not noticing how the captain’s face darkened even more as the seconds ticked by. This was added with Taketora’s intimidating visage and Yaku’s narrowed look just a few steps in front of them.

“Is that their manager?”

“Wow, she’s really pretty.”

“I dare you to talk to her. She looks approachable with that smile of hers.”

Kuroo scoffed, taking his right hand from the pocket of his jacket. As if on reflex, he wrapped his arm around Yukimi’s waist. From the front, Taketora leaned forward and jeered on the faces of the ones who made comments regarding their manager, with Yaku pulling on his jacket in an attempt to calm him down. The third-year worried about their ace since their club’s captain appeared cross behind them and Taketora’s rowdy behavior will probably put Kuroo in a worse mood. Under his breath, Kuroo murmured, “One would think that they didn’t set their eyes on a female before.”

Yukimi laughed, looking up at Kuroo from beneath her lashes with a kind smile. “Why should I worry about them if I have you by my side?”

A skipped heartbeat. A sharp intake of breath. A gentle squeeze on the waist. A lovesick grin.

“Hana, you’re really something, aren’t you?”


	17. INTO THE FRAY.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

The greeting echoed through the hallway like a sonic wave, catching the attention of some people around the vicinity. The Nekoma volleyball club looked at the end of the hallway — some of them smiling widely at the other team while some maintained a blank expression (mainly Kenma because Fukunaga brightened up a little at the sight of one of their contenders). With jerseys sprinkled with golden accents and features similar to that of their school mascot, the members of the Fukurodani team bounded to where the Nekoma team is.

“Long time, no see, bro!” Bokuto Koutarou shouted once he was face-to-face with Kuroo. The two of them then gave each other a brotherly pat on the back, followed by another round of laughter. “I guess this means we’ll be bros in rivalry starting this week, huh? I can’t wait to crush you in a match!”

Kuroo snickered at his friend, his smirk growing by the second. “Can’t wait to show you owls what we have in store for this year’s InterHigh,” he stated rather proudly, his smirk never faltering alongside Bokuto’s effervescent grin. “Maybe this will be our lucky year,” he chuckled, “not only did we improve our way in the court, but we also acquired a rather one-of-a-kind gem.”

At this, Bokuto perked up, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation at what Kuroo just revealed. “Oya?” he inquired, leaning a little bit to Kuroo’s smirking visage. “Did you perhaps have a new ma—“

“Ah, Yuki-chan,” Yaku exclaimed from behind Kuroo, making both captains divert their attention to the small commotion at their right. “You just disappeared after we came here, where did you go? Did anybody approach you out of nowhere?”

A mellifluous laugh followed soon after. It was probably awful-sounding to the girl since it was a chortle but in Bokuto’s ears, it sounded pretty. The Fukurodani captain found himself staring at a short-haired girl fitted in Nekoma’s jacket and track pants, the manager pin nestled on her chest. The first word Bokuto ever associated with her was pretty and any positive adjective echoed soon after. But what rang in his head more is the thought that there was something about her that made him curious. He continued watching her as she gave Kenma a small bottle of apple juice, which the second-year setter gratefully accepted with a smile, puzzling Bokuto even more because the younger boy rarely smiled.

His nose scrunched up as his shoulders visibly drooped.

_Why are our managers not like that? We need apple juice once in a while as well or any kind of drink. Why does Shirofuku always drink all of them?_

Kuroo noticed Bokuto’s forlorn atmosphere so he took his stare from Yukimi and internally panicked since Akaashi, Fukurodani’s setter and vice-captain, was still talking to Yaku. He doesn’t know how to handle an emo Bokuto, how much more this early in the morning. Deciding that he should be a good friend in times of unexpected sadness, Kuroo tried patting Bokuto on the back while scratching the back of his head.

“I don’t know why looking at Hana made you sad,” Kuroo started, clearing his throat, “but I assure you she always boosts our mood. I mean, that face and personality? It made you sad? I take great offense to that, you horned-owl bastard.”

Bokuto slowly shifted his head to look at Kuroo with big, blank eyes, which made the latter flinch a little. “This is so unfair!” Bokuto exclaimed, earning questioning stares from both of the teams present in the hallway, even the pretty manager, making Bokuto flush an unnoticeable shade of pink. “How come your manager gets to be like that?” When he saw Kuroo lift an eyebrow, he quickly continued, waving his hand in front of him. “Not that there’s anything wrong with our managers but from your manager’s appearance alone, she seems like a sweet person!”

Now this made Kuroo have a double-take. He glanced at Yukimi from the corners of his eyes while the girl gave him a worried mien. Wanting to ease the furrow on her brows, Kuroo flashed her a smile and a quick wink before turning back to his friend. “Yes, she is a sweet person, and more than that,” he told the gray-haired captain with an underlying tone of fulfillment. “Actually, I really want you to meet her.” As if remembering something, Kuroo perked up. “Oh, and remember the person that I talked to you about since second year? The one that I really, really like?” Seeing Bokuto nod, the dark-haired lad leaned a little to drop his voice. “That’s her.”

Bokuto gasped loudly before pointing at the direction of Yukimi. “That’s your cru—mmph?!” he never finished his sentence since Kuroo immediately placed his hand on the other captain’s mouth (harshly).

Panicking, Kuroo leaned a little more with narrowed eyes, his voice lower than earlier. “You airhead!” he whispered, earning a muffled response from the owlish boy. “She doesn’t even know yet!” A high muffle came from behind his palm, making him roll his eyes. “You know how much I treasure you, bro, but no unexpected announcements of my feelings when she’s around. Now, are you calm?” Once again, Bokuto nodded fervently — a sign that Kuroo took positively as he retracted his hand from Bokuto’s face. “Wipe that hopeful look on your face, I’m not allowing you to help me with my love-life. No offense but I don’t see any progress in yours.”

Bokuto scoffed, crossing his arms against his chest while jutting out his chin. “My love-life is progressing quite okay, Kuroo!” he shouted.

“Uh-huh,” Kuroo nodded slowly, not believing a word from his friend at the moment. “I can clearly remember you failing to ignite on that one potential spark leading to your nonexistent love-life.”

It was no secret that his owlish friend never had the thing called love-life during the course of his middle school and high school years. Apparently, all of the other captain’s time was dedicated to volleyball and being a complete nutjob (just like him but Yukimi will always be an exception). However, there was a time in year two where Bokuto complained that he tried confessing to someone just for the sake of knowing what it feels like to confess to somebody. Let’s just say that Bokuto earned a scolding from his teammates for playing with the girl’s feelings since she ended up having a crush on him in the first place. This is all coming from the boy who pressed their school’s fire alarm because of his curiosity of how firm one should press it. So who could blame him?

Bokuto recoiled at the bluntness of Kuroo’s attack. “Ack!” he exclaimed, clutching his chest while stepping back from Kuroo, who only pursed his lips with a blank face before sighing.

Meanwhile, while the whole ordeal between the two captains played out, Yukimi got herself acquainted with the members of the Fukurodani team. She also discovered that they have two managers who are busy buying some snacks and filling up the water bottles before the games officially start since one of them appeared to be an avid eater, a feat that she greatly appreciated. As what she perceived from the team, it was plainly obvious that the two managers have a good job in keeping them in line because judging from their predicament of a captain, it seems like it spurred from the girls’ absence.

Her phone suddenly buzzed inside her pocket and Yukimi was instantly curious on who would send a message to her this early in a Sunday morning, she figured that it wouldn’t be her mother since she already had her message. Opening the messaging app, Yukimi found herself grinning while gazing at her phone’s screen.

> _From: Kiyoko-san_
> 
> _Subject: Good Luck!_
> 
> _06/09 8:19_
> 
> _Yukimi-san, I wish you luck on your preliminaries!_
> 
> _I’m so sorry I didn’t message you last night, we had a family dinner. I wanted to go to Tokyo to watch your preliminaries since we promised we should meet with each other sometimes but I got caught up in finding a new manager. I should probably introduce her to you and I think you will like her a lot. She’s Yachi Hitoka and a first-year!_
> 
> _Again, good luck and do your best!_

After typing out a response to Kiyoko’s message, Yukimi went back to talking with the others, who all had pink tints on their cheeks at the sight of the girl smiling at her phone, before taking the cooler from beside Kenma. Excusing herself from the setter, who only nodded lightly, Yukimi lifted the cooler and walked towards the nearest water dispensers. There she encountered two girls who seem to be around her age and yet standing a couple inches taller than her. One of them has her hair in a high ponytail, patiently waiting for the water bottle to fill up while the other one looked blankly on the wall with bread hanging from her mouth; the former’s jacket having the same manager badge pinned on it. They must be Fukurodani’s managers, the team’s colors splattered on their jackets.

The girl with the high ponytail glanced at her approaching figure and proceeded to gawk, the water bottle on her hand now overflowing, making her look away from Yukimi with a flushed and flustered face. “Ah!” she exclaimed, quickly turning the faucet off.

“Are you alright, Kaori-chan?” the droopy-eyed girl accompanying her asked, munching on her melon bread and leaning forward to check on her friend.

The girl named Kaori nodded rapidly before taking a deep breath, turning her head towards the short-haired girl to their left. “Uhm, hi there,” she greeted Yukimi with a slight bow. Kaori wanted to slap a hand on her forehead for sounding so awkward, but she couldn’t help it when the girl standing just a few feet away from them looked like a blockbuster movie star or a world-class idol. _That visual_ , Kaori thought as she admired Yukimi’s features. “Are you going to fill those water bottles?” She nodded towards the bottles on both of Yukimi’s hands.

Yukimi nodded with a soft smile on her face. “Yeah,” she replied, opening the faucet and placing an empty bottle under the running water. She wistfully looked at the running faucet before turning to glance at the two girls to try talking to them. “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself.” Lowering her head in a bow, her smile reaching her eyes as she opened her mouth to utter her name, “I’m Kazahana Yukimi, Nekoma’s manager. Though you probably noticed that because of my tracksuit.” She then laughed under her breath since it was quite obvious that she came from Nekoma.

Kaori hastily bowed again with red cheeks. “I’m Suzumeda Kaori,” she introduced herself, then turning to the girl beside her, who was slack-jawed and wide-eyed at Yukimi. “And this is Shirofuku Yukie. We’re Fukurodani’s managers.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Suzumeda-san, Shirofuku-san,” Yukimi told them, the smile never fading from her face as she finished filling up the first water bottle.

“You’re pretty,” Yukie blurted out, her eyes sparkling as she felt her grip on her melon bread loosen.

Kaori, who noticed the falling bread, quickly placed the water bottle on the counter of the water dispensers and made sure to keep the melon bread firmly stay in Yukie’s hand. “Yukie-chan, you can’t just say that out of the blue to a person!” she spluttered as she worriedly glanced at the short-haired girl, whose face turned into a charming shade of red.

“Thank you,” Yukimi murmured under her breath, unable to keep the eye contact with the two girls. Thinking that she was probably coming off as rude and haughty, Yukimi placed another filled-up water bottle on the counter. “I’m sorry, I get flustered whenever pretty girls call me pretty. Sometimes, it’s too hard to believe.” She gave the two managers a delightful grin, the smile reaching her eyes, leaving the two girls awestruck. Soon after, Yukimi changed the subject to avoid any awkward spaces during her stay in the water dispensers. “How long have you been managing your volleyball club?”

“Ah, we’ve been managing it since we were first years!” Kaori enthusiastically told her, the excitement of telling the new girl stories vividly reflected in her eyes. “Originally, the previous manager only recruited me but a whole year of being surrounded by sweaty volleyball-oriented boys made me lonely so I have to invite Miss Munchy over here.” She snickered while glancing at Yukie, who rose a hand in a wave with a smile, before turning back to Yukimi. “How about you, Kazahana-san? I bet you also joined back in year one.”

Yukimi shook her head as she patiently waited for the bottle in her grip to fill up. “I only joined at the start of the year so I guess you could say I’m a rookie in managing sports clubs,” she replied sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. “Kuroo invited me to be their manager because I’m the only third-year without any clubs at the start of the academic year and I think it would be a great experience so here I am.”

Kaori nodded with a smile, her eyes glancing from the girl to the empty water bottles on the counter. “Kazahana-san, let me help you with those,” she offered, taking the place beside the shorter girl.

“Thank you,” Yukimi told Kaori, glancing at her from the corners of her eyes, her lips set in a half-smile.

With red cheeks, the light-brown-haired girl proceeded to watch the running water fill the remaining bottles, hastening Yukimi’s task. Their part of the water dispensers was blanketed in a comfortable silence that brought small smiles on the girls’ faces. Later on, Yukie finished the second melon bread she had in her plastic bag and kindly offered to help Yukimi as well, making the latter brighten up with gratitude. Now that all of the water bottles are completely nestled inside the red cooler, Yukimi bowed in front of the two girls as a way of thanking them, an act that made them fluster. The three of them then created small talk before making their way to their respective teams.

In the middle of one of their conversations (Kaori telling Yukimi the bizarre things Bokuto has done), Kuroo stopped a few feet from the water dispensers to call out for the short-haired manager. “Hana!” he shouted, making the three girls look in his direction. Once he caught Yukimi’s attention, he walked casually towards her with his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. With a soft gaze, Kuroo ducked down to lift the cooler and then taking Yukimi’s hand in his. “Come on, the first match is starting in about thirty minutes. Oh, hello, Suzumeda, Shirofuku,” his smile then turned into a smug grin, “your captain is becoming restless now, I think he needs the usual ‘a cute girl is looking at him from the stands’ remark.”

Kaori rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Hello, Kuroo-san. I think you’re not wrong with that.” She glanced at Yukie at her side. “Let’s go cheer up captain owl, Yukie-chan!”

Yukie nodded at her and followed the other three towards their teams.

The two girls then waved goodbye and wished good luck to Yukimi once they entered the Air-Salonpas-scented gymnasium, with the two managers turning to the opposite side of the venue where the white banner of Fukurodani was proudly attached. With a firm grip on her hand, Kuroo gently led her to where the team was just settling in their side of the court, their opponent team already doing their own set of warm-up drills, which consist of serves and receives. As the two reached the coaches’ bench, Kuroo placed the cooler at the side of Yukimi’s part of the long chair and patiently waited for the other team to finish their drills in the court.

He was breathing heavily while looking at the way the players of Hachioji did their serves, his hands planted on his hips. The moment the whistle screeched, signaling for their turn to have their warm-ups, Kuroo took a deep breath and shouted a loud ‘let’s go’, followed by the equally loud ‘osu’ from his members.

Throughout the entire time they did spiking drills, Yukimi excused herself from the coaches, who encouraged her to step on the court once in a while (to get the feeling of competition as what Nekomata said). So she followed their advice and became the boys’ temporary ballgirl, regulating her breathing from chasing all the runaway volleyballs. This is one of those times where she regretted being unfit during her life.

While walking towards the ball cart, a stray ball from the side rolled towards her. It caught her attention but what puzzled her was an approaching member of the Hachioji team, his expression trying hard to appear cool. Yukimi had to stare blankly at him before turning around to continue her task. Not long after, a volleyball hit the boy at the back of his head, surprising the Nekoma team.

“Oi! Masumi, you idiot!” an enraged boy shouted from the other side of the court, his stomps thundering as he pulled the boy called Masumi by the ear. “How many times do I tell you to stop preying on unaware girls?!”

“B-But, Chikaru-senpai!” Masumi pleaded, his eyes displaying crocodile tears. “Their manager looks so pretty, you can’t even deny that!”

Chikaru rolled his eyes from behind the younger boy. Realizing that all attention was on them, he quickly bowed in front Yukimi, his hand also forcing his junior to apologize for his rowdy behavior, earning a squawk from the younger boy. “I’m so sorry!” he told the girl, his cheeks red in embarrassment while straightening his posture. “This idiot here is an appreciator of beauty so I am apologizing on his behalf.”

“An appreciator of beauty, you say?” Taketora ominously stated as he returned the first stray volleyball to Masumi’s hands, pushing the ball on the boy’s chest firmly. This made the two opponents flinch since Taketora has his usual intimidating expression plastered on his face. “Here’s your ball.”

Kuroo walked to where Yukimi stood laughing with Taketora, thanking him for the save since the two boys seemed to be scared of their ace after that interaction. The tall lad stopped in front of the short-haired girl, casting a shadow on her figure and catching her attention, her caramel eyes curiously fixed on his face. Lifting his hand up and pushing her hair behind her ear, Kuroo murmured, “Can you wish me luck, Hana?”

He completely forgot that Taketora was still within their bubble so the second-year ace only walked away from them in a robotic manner, his cheeks red at the intimate moment that shrouded their captain and manager. Though, this didn’t faze Kuroo as he gazed down at Yukimi with half-lidded eyes sparkling with expectation.

What Yukimi did wasn’t what Kuroo expected. He only anticipated a smile and a heartfelt ‘good luck’ but a kiss on the cheek definitely caught him off-guard. He could only watch the shorter girl lessen their gap with wide eyes as she stood on her tip-toes with her eyes closed. A feathery kiss then brushed against the side of his jaw and the familiar, saccharine scent of watermelon passing gently over his nose sent his heartbeat in a frenzy. Meanwhile, his entire mind blanked out, his entire focus solely on the Elysian girl, who has always done wonders in leaving him awestruck.

“Burn bright out there, starshine,” Yukimi told him with that smile he greatly adores, rendering him breathless. The shorter girl noticed his shocked visage so she laughed at how adorable he looked. “You think you’re the only one who’s allowed to call others by a nickname? The captains will be called over any minute now.” She grinned at him, lightly pushing on his chest and nodding her head towards the referee who was planning to blow on his whistle.

Kuroo nodded, still in a daze, before turning around to jog to where the referee gestured for him. As he passed by his own teammates, Yaku leaned forward and stage-whispered to Kai, “I think he’s in his euphoric state,” the libero paused to wave his hand over their captain, who was shaking hands with Hachioji’s captain, “I mean, look at him. Agh, I’m jealous and kind of frustrated that he’ll probably have a girlfriend before me. And on top of that, it’s Yukimi-chan!”

Kai chuckled. “It’s pretty satisfying to witness their relationship develop from the sidelines, don’t you think?” Yaku nodded frivolously at Kai’s remark. “They don’t even talk to each other back in first year but now, seeing them that close to each other, I feel proud for some reason.”

Yaku snickered. “I got to admit, they look perfect for each other. Now all that’s left is for them to let me name their first child together!”

“I think you’re going too far, Yakkun,” Kai chuckled. “But if that would happen, it will be one of the luckiest children to have amazing parents like Kuroo and Yukimi-san.”

“Just think about the genes!” Yaku exclaimed, genuinely excited at the thought of their friends’ potential child. “With Kuroo’s ‘okay’ face and Yukimi’s goddess-like features? Their child will be revolutionary!”

“You really have to insult him, huh?” Kai noted, laughing after Yaku.

“Now what is this about children and Hana?” Kuroo asked them, his eyes narrowed specifically at Yaku since he doesn’t have the heart to do that with Kai. He just found out about who will be serving and receiving and yet all he got as a response from his question were dismissive waves. “By the way, we’ll be receiving first.”

Now, everybody crowded around him with their hands in the middle of their huddle, each member’s expression determined to get past the first round of the preliminaries. A single thought running in their minds, “ _It’s too early for us to go home.”_

Kuroo then opened his mouth, “We’re like the blood in our veins.” Yaku and Kai have pensive smiles on their faces while looking down at the group’s hands. “Never stop flowing.” The first-years all felt the coursing adrenaline of being in an official match in their body, their faces serious as they gulped down their nervousness. “Keep moving.” Taketora had a smirk lifting up his lips while Fukunaga only looked at the huddled hands blankly. “Keep bringing in the oxygen.” Kenma doesn’t want to admit it but the regular mantra made him relax a little as he took a deep breath. “So that our ‘brain’ can operate at his best.”

Then, all of the teams present in Sumida gymnasium lined up, facing their respective opponents, before simultaneously bowing.

“Let’s play a good game!”


	18. THE VICTORS.

“One touch!”

The ball managed to come in contact with Kuroo’s hand as Hachioji's ace did a quick right in front of him, giving Nekoma a chance in keeping the ball in play. As usual, their match started out in the opponent team’s favor, seeing as they let Kenma try to perceive what the other team has up their sleeves except for the rumored ceiling serves. So far, nothing much has been acting up from Hachioji’s team, even their ceiling serves, and it was making the members of Nekoma on guard more than usual. As much as they deny it, it seems like Hachioji has been holding back and were silently waiting for them to break from their composed way of playing. Now it was the second set and things are starting to come into place for both teams.

Kuroo smirked at the possibility of winning this as he looked overhead, following the ball’s trajectory as it smoothly went to Yaku. The libero kneeled a little and managed to bump the ball without any problems, perfectly making an arc towards Kenma, who never once glanced at his teammates.

Hachioji’s team all furrowed their brows as they carefully watched where the setter planned to toss the ball. Was it their scary middle blocker who completely shut out their ace’s spikes? Their rambunctious ace who was silent for once as he set his catlike eyes on the ball right above Kenma? Or their stealthy wing spiker who seemed to never make a sound when enacting a quick? Whoever it is, Nekoma took it to their advantage as every single player matched their movements with each other, making it hard for Hachioji to conclude which player gets the ball.

However, since Kenma managed to confuse them, he pulled off another dump to the other side of the net. Never expecting for the dump to happen, the players of Hachioji didn't react as they watched the ball drop on the floor. Masumi, who was so excited when he entered the court, looked directly at Kenma with a perplexed face as he panted, dumbfounded that such an unfit player has the ability to bring the train of momentum to their side. Kenma, however, returned his stare with both coldness and aloofness, the blonde strands of his hair resting over his eyes, before turning around to receive the high-five Kuroo gave him.

_16-13._

Yukimi quickly wrote something in her notebook after staring at the scoreboard. Their team is apparently doing well, being in the lead. At this pace, Yukimi concluded that they can win the match if the members maintained in keeping up their momentum. Fidgeting with her ballpoint pen, Yukimi glanced at Nekomata, who was once again snickering under his breath while focusing his eyes on the match.

“They’re doing pretty good,” Nekomata noted, his eyes never wavering from scrutinizing the manner of Taketora’s jump serve. Receiving a silent nod from Naoi beside him, the older coach set his eyes on Yukimi, who was vibrantly observing the match. “What do you think, Yukimi? It’s a bit different from all those practice matches, right?”

The short-haired manager nodded. “I expected it to be different since this is an official match and one mistake will most likely end up as the team’s failure. But it’s kind of exhilarating, knowing that each of our players will do anything to get past this round. As ridiculous as it sounds, worrying over the match is the least of my concerns right now because judging from the way they are playing, they’re all so calm unlike the practice matches with Karasuno. I guess I trust our team too much.” She coyly laughed as she ran her fingers through her hair, her cheeks flushing once she heard Nekomata’s laugh beside her.

“And you did the perfect decision in trusting the boys,” Nekoma’s main coach thoughtfully told her, his eyes becoming soft as he gazed at the court. “Their opponent isn’t exactly weak or strong and yet they adapted to them way quicker than I originally thought. I’m surprised that Kozume doesn’t even show any signs of exhaustion!” He let out another laugh, the smile decorating his features afterward. “It’s safe to say that they have this in the bag.”

A resounding smack ricocheted from the court, catching their attention, only to be greeted by the sight of one of the members of Hachioji successfully blocking Taketora’s spike, making the ball drop on Nekoma’s side of the court. This spurred Yaku to shout from the benched players (since Inuoka was subbed in the court), yelling for them to snap the hell out of it since not one of them expected for Hachioji to imitate Kuroo’s way of blocking. The opponent team’s middle blockers were somewhat expecting the ace to pull off something boisterous just like at the beginning of the set and by keeping a more watchful on eye on him made it possible for them to shut out his quick attack. And just like that, Hachioji managed to turn the tides over to them, breaking Nekoma’s streak with a three-man block.

Though the existence of the point gap is still present, the atmosphere of the court changed. This sent Nekoma more on edge than the first set because it seems like Hachioji has been playing a lot like them — eyeing their weaknesses and mannerisms before acting on their secretive plays. A proof of this is seen in the next rally as a server from Hachioji executed a jump floater, jolting every single member of Nekoma. As Kai managed to bump it, every onlooker sporting Nekoma’s colors sighed a breath of relief at the sound receive, watching the ball pass smoothly to Kenma. The second-year setter once again surveyed his surroundings a little, a risky thought coming into his mind — one that he was uncertain of Hachioji not noticing it, unlike Karasuno’s blonde middle blocker.

Kenma’s golden eyes glanced at the right, where Fukunaga was settled, and lifted his hands up to a toss. It seemed to have worked again because the vanguard players of Hachioji jogged to where Fukunaga is and it took every single ounce of restraint from Kenma to stop himself from letting out a small smirk. However, with a practiced stoic visage, the setter successfully tossed a little higher than usual while a certain dark-haired player waited for a few seconds before jumping as high as he could, spiking the ball to a barren part of the court.

“Go, go, Tetsurou! Push it, push it, Tetsurou!”

Kuroo clenched his fist and shouted in glee alongside his teammates, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his smirk turning into a real smile. Before taking his position in the new rotation, Kuroo’s eyes gravitated to Yukimi, who was clutching on her notebook with a smile of her own. As the two held gazes, the short-haired girl sent him a thumbs-up while he felt his cheeks heat up, remembering that she kissed him on the cheek as good luck before the game started. And before he knew it, Kuroo’s mind was fogged with thoughts of the seraphic girl watching him with brilliant eyes. After looking away from her for a couple of seconds, the dark-haired boy once again glanced at Yukimi, and seeing that she was looking at him the entire time, Kuroo gave her a cheeky smile and a wink.

“Okay, lover boy,” Yaku taunted him as the libero walked to the court after telling Inuoka that he did well (“Leave the rest to me, Inuoka!”). “Go out there and give us a nice serve!” He then squatted a little, his light brown eyes locked on the net in front.

The messy-haired captain smirked and walked to the end of the court. With a deep breath and a tight grip on the volleyball at hand, Kuroo waited for the whistle. It seemed to stretch on for minutes so he shifted his eyes to Yukimi. As bizarre as it sounds, every single nerve in his body went into reset and he found his mind becoming clearer than before. So when the piercing whistle greeted his ears, Kuroo threw the ball in the air and tried swerving it towards the front of the opponents’ side of the net. This caused the players of Hachioji to scramble from their spots and make a shabby receive, the ball flying over to Nekoma’s side of the court.

“Chance ball!” Kuroo shouted, running as he watched Kai claim the ball, passing it to Kenma. His childhood best friend only looked at the ball and called for Taketora, managing a power-packed spike, followed by the latter’s shouts. “Nice kill!”

For the following rallies of the second set, both teams grappled and accumulated points one after the other, leading to their scores entering the twenties, with Nekoma in the lead. If one could say that the beginning of the match was boring because both teams looked like they didn’t put much effort in, a change of opinion will most likely surface since Hachioji intensely played and Nekoma showed their stubbornness in not making the ball drop. Each rally lasted longer than usual, with Nekoma’s digs and solid receives coloring the court. However, this was taking a toll on them and to be honest, some of them (mostly Kenma) have the thought of just giving a point to Hachioji to stop of the longer rallies, though he never once did act upon this (note: this is a fleeting thought and Kenma was slightly ashamed to think of it).

And with Nekoma nearing match point, they noticed something about Hachioji’s style of playing.

It was greatly explained by what is written in their banner — ‘conquer and dominate’. Very befitting for them as the ‘princes’ of Tokyo. And now with one point away from claiming the set as their victory, Nekoma braced themselves as the ace of the opposing team walked to the end of the court to perform his jump serves. With a cannon-like countenance, the ball made a straight shot towards Yaku, who has his tongue slightly sticking out with his eyes scarily trained on the approaching ball.

The libero kneeled down a little and did an amazing receive, earning him shouts of ‘nice receive’ from his teammates. This was passed to Kenma, who tossed for Fukunaga. Right after, two middle blockers from Hachioji stopped Fukunaga’s spike, making the ball drop to the floor. However, in the next moment, Kai dove down to save the ball, sending it flying towards Kuroo, who shouted for everyone to cover for him since he wasn’t expecting Kai to pass to him. Everybody was on edge as it became another chance ball for the other team, making Kuroo grit and curse himself to oblivion in his mind (Kai noticed and he tried reassuring the captain to focus on the game because it wasn’t his fault). Once again, Hachioji tried for a quick attack and Kuroo waited for the right timing to block it but changed his decision instead.

“One touch!”

Naoi and Yukimi were both leaning forward while Nekomata only grinned as Taketora received the ball. The short-haired girl could sense that people are starting to crowd over to their side of the court and it made her smirk, proud of the team she is managing. Yukimi has always been wondering why Nekoma wasn’t known among Japan but in actuality, their high school is known in Tokyo for being one of the best defenders in the court. Ever since they entered Sumida City Gymnasium though, she has been hearing whispers that their team doesn’t stand out that much and it was the first time they ever heard of such a school.

Yukimi really wanted for the day that the team would prove them wrong.

It was the longest rally in the whole match and she could see the vanguard players of Hachioji displaying annoyance at the persistence of Nekoma as Kenma dug the ball. With their setter still on the ground, trying to recover, Kai did the toss after making eye-contact with each of his teammates. Taketora jumped first, followed by Fukunaga, and the players of the opposing team realized soon after that neither spikers did a quick attack just when they landed on the floor. Kuroo’s eyes glinted as he jumped the moment the blockers’ feet touched the floor, smacking the ball down to Hachioji’s side of the court.

The screams from the stands and the laughs from the members of Nekoma indicated their first win of the day. Nekomata laughed while Naoi scratched his head, mumbling that he was worrying for nothing. Yukimi could feel the pride blossoming in her chest, making her stomach flutter with tingles that caused her to laugh in glee alongside the older coach. At that exact moment, Kuroo turned around from Nekoma’s tight huddle and looked directly at her, both of their eyes drowning with satisfaction and joy from the recent rain of exhilaration.

Amidst the short bout of celebration, the scoreboard proudly showed _25-23_ and _25-21_.

Nekoma got past the first match of the preliminaries.

* * *

“Wah, that was surreal,” Yaku exclaimed as he stretched his arms over his head, leaving his lunch unattended on his lap.

“You’re right there, Yaku-san!” Taketora replied with a laugh. “We’ll just have to win the next match of the day.”

Right now, Nekoma’s volleyball team decided to have their lunch early since their match ended faster than they expected. And while they have been munching on rice balls, egg-rolls, and fruits they brought in their lunch packs, the Nekoma team all watched the remaining matches inside the gymnasium, specifically Fukurodani’s match. The first-years still have that exuberant air around them, in contrast with Kuroo, who was sulking as he took a bite of his banana. The cause of his restlessness was out there, who knows where, probably eating her lunch away from them. It wasn’t that he was so dependent on the presence of Yukimi, it’s just that there was this uneasiness brewing in his stomach at the thought of her mulling by herself.

If Yukimi thought that he never had any idea of her distancing herself from them (him) every lunch period, well she was wrong. Kuroo sensed that she probably wanted a time alone for herself, he couldn’t blame her because being with boys all day can be pretty concerning, especially with the nincompoops surrounding him at the moment. Noticing that he finished the lemon-flavored drink he got from the vending machine, Kuroo stood up and patted his lap free from bread crumbs.

Without looking up from his phone, Kenma told Kuroo, “Apple juice for me.”

“What—?” Kuroo couldn’t finish his sentence as the rest of his teammates requested a few drinks of their own. Setting his eyes on Kenma, he tried containing his patience as he noted each and every drink his members wanted. “Okay, so that lemon drink for Taketora, Inuoka, and Shibayama. Cola for Teshiro and Yaku. And lastly, apple juice for Kenma, the one who started my career as the errand boy for the team.”

Yaku laughed. “With you looking like that,” he eyed Kuroo with a teasing half-smile from his unamused face to his feet, “you are bound to be our errand—“

“Do not dare finish that,” Kuroo jeered, narrowing his eyes at his sniggering friend. "I'll be back."

He then took the wallet from his bag and went up the stairs at the side of the seats. With his hands in the pockets of his jacket, Kuroo breathed a sigh of relief when he went out of the main gymnasium. The air conditioners will be the death of him. As he neared the vending machine, he felt his lips lift up in a smile at the sight of Yukimi in Nekoma’s white and scarlet jacket, her wrapped bento and her notebook clutched against her chest. But what made him falter in his steps was the person clad in a dark green jacket standing beside Yukimi. This is the one thing he really wanted to avoid this day. Snapping himself from incredulity, Kuroo hastened his steps until he was on the other side of Yukimi. Right after, he wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist, making her look up at him with wide eyes.

“Kuroo?” Yukimi acknowledged. “Have you finished your lunch?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo replied, his eyes set on the dark-haired boy lazily regarding him. “Yo, Hiroo, how’s your game?”

The boy, Hiroo Kouji, imperceptibly rose an eyebrow as he trailed his eyes from Yukimi’s face down to Kuroo’s hand, which is firmly placed on the girl’s waist. At first, he wanted to chat up the lonely girl regardless of the colors of her jacket. The colors scream for him to take time in weighing his decision of getting to know her or flirting with her before their second game. But he could use something called a relationship if their captain would often rub it in their faces every once in a while, saying that he is the only one in the team with a girlfriend. And it just so happened that this breathtaking girl stood in front of the vending machine with him, bringing along a pretty watermelon scent.

The world seemed to be laughing at him when Kuroo sauntered to the girl’s side. Of course, girls with those features will always have a boyfriend. It’s a known fact.

“We won,” Hiroo replied, looking at the vending machine in front of him rather than at the beauty by Kuroo’s side. The moment the girl stopped beside him, he never got the chance to push the button of his favorite drink. So once he had the cold can of the crazed carbonated lemon drink, he straightened himself up and bowed a little to Yukimi, who hastily returned his bow with curiosity (Kuroo saw the exchange and immediately scrunched his face). But before he could say the next words he planned on telling Kuroo, a sharp shout of his name made the three teenagers look over to a slanted-eyed, lean individual slithering his way to the trio.

“Hiroo, it took you this long to get your drink?” Daishou Suguru asked his fellow third-year, never noticing the duo standing a few feet away from his teammate. “What distracted you,” he trailed off once he got a good view of Kuroo’s unamused face, making his lips curl to a smirk, “ah, so a stray cat wanted to get himself a drink, too.”

Kuroo gave a smirk of his own as well. “We get thirsty at times, too,” he replied in a faux light tone.

Hiroo, who slightly rolled his eyes, walked away from the pair while taking sips of his drink. At the same time, Yukimi ducked down to retrieve the banana milk she punched while the second boy approached them. Though, she couldn’t see Daishou’s reaction when she was in his line of sight, Yukimi quickly jumped when the captain of Nohebi emitted a disbelieving choke.

“A–A girlfriend?!” Daishou exclaimed, pointing at Yukimi, who became red at the word. “You got yourself a girlfriend, you rooster-haired bastard?”

Just like Daishou, Kuroo cleared his throat after choking in surprise at his rival’s remark. This was just a normal occurrence whenever he and Yukimi were in the same place together; starting with their classmates, to their club members (except the third-years and Kenma), and to some of the teams they encountered during practice matches, but it never failed to make the tips of his ears feel his blush. He was left gawking at Daishou, mirroring the latter’s shocked expression with his heart stuttering.

“This girl,” Daishou noted, blinking at the short-haired girl, emphasizing the second word with an incredulous tone, “is dating you? I can’t believe a normal guy like you has a cute girl as a girlfriend.” He then focused his attention on Yukimi’s caramel irises, his eyebrows furrowing. “What made you date him?”

As Kuroo opened his mouth to rebut all of Dasihou’s statements since they pierced his chest with a dozen arrows, Yukimi bowed in front of the boys which earned various reactions (Kuroo proceeded to tell Yukimi to straighten her posture and that it wasn’t needed for her to bow, Daishou was then a flustered mess at the sight of the pretty girl showing respect to him other than his girlfriend, while Hiroo looked at the girl with wide eyes). After standing to her full height, she looked at the two boys with a friendly smile on her face. “I’m not Kuroo’s girlfriend,” she told them. “But I’m Nekoma’s manager. If you’re mistaken by Kuroo being like this, it’s just that he is always concerned with his club members.” She then looked up at Kuroo, who has a half-smile on his lips. “He is just being an admirable captain to the club.”

“You heard my manager, you snake bastard,” Kuroo voiced out after tearing his eyes from Yukimi. “I’m just being an admirable captain.” He shrugged as if Yukimi’s compliment was an excuse for him to be boastful. With an easygoing smile, he gave a comment that resonated a promise of playing against each other, “So see you later on in the matches.”

Daishou huffed, crossing his arms against his chest. “We’ll definitely crush you, kitty cats.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Kuroo replied. “We have enough of that though.”

The lean boy lingered his gaze at Kuroo’s hand on Yukimi’s waist before turning around with a scoff. “Not dating, my ass,” he mumbled to Hiroo. “I bet those two will be lovey-dovey with each other in a few months.” He side-eyed Hiroo, who was slurping on his lemon drink with a blank face. “Were you trying to hit on her earlier?”

“Yeah,” Hiroo answered, shaking the can of the lemon drink in his hand. “But that was before Kuroo swooped in so I never really got the chance to even know her name.”

“That’s a bummer, man.”

Kuroo sighed as he watched two of his rivals walk away from them, relieved that they decided to end their conversation at that (well, every conversation with that team always ended on a ‘see you in the finals’ note but it never happened). Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he placed his chin on top of Yukimi’s head. “Let’s stay like this for a minute,” he murmured, hugging her firmly from behind and letting himself take comfort in the girl’s watermelon scent. When he felt Yukimi move her head, he lifted his head and curiously looked down at her. The short girl craned her neck to meet Kuroo’s eyes, the back of her head meeting his chest, which was pounding at their close proximity.

“Tell me what drinks they told you to buy,” she told him with a grin, pertaining to their club members.

“Oh,” Kuroo murmured, placing his head on her right shoulder. He relayed the drinks while Yukimi punched every single one on the vending machine. When she heard that Kenma wants apple juice, she couldn’t help but chuckle and Kuroo also couldn’t help but admire her side profile. The dark-haired boy wanted to nuzzle his head on her shoulder but he quickly caught himself when he realized that the two of them are in a public space where any person could appear out of nowhere and the fact that they are not in a relationship yet. Now that every single drink was dropped in the compartment, Kuroo straightened himself to retrieve the drinks. “They should have bags around here somewhere.”

Seeing as Kuroo looked from each vending machine to the other, Yukimi took a plastic bag from the side of one vending machine and handed it to Kuroo. “Here.”

“Thank you, Hana,” Kuroo replied, placing the cans (and Kenma’s box of apple juice) inside the plastic bag. Taking Yukimi’s free hand, the messy-haired lad gently pulled her to his side as they walked towards the door to the audience’s seats. As the two walked at a regular pace, Kuroo felt Yukimi intertwining her fingers with his, making him swivel his head to her.

“I forgot to tell you,” she voiced out. “Since it worked for the first match,” Kuroo rose an eyebrow, earning a chuckle from Yukimi, “I’ll probably wish you luck on your future matches. That way you’ll burn brighter as you promised.”

With that cheeky grin at the end of her declaration, Kuroo found his face (up to the tips of his ears and neck) erupting in the same color of his jacket and jersey uniform, making the short-haired girl laugh out loud.

“You look like the jersey uniform!”

“I do not!”

“It’s cute!”

“C—Cute?” Kuroo sputtered, taken aback at the adjective since he didn’t hear that directed at him all his life.

“It’s nice to be the one teasing once in a while.”

“You’re really having fun with me short-circuiting, huh?”

“Well—hey, now that’s unfair!”

“It’s nice to be the one kissing you on the cheek,” Kuroo drawled, smirking at Yukimi’s red face. Feeling the familiar warmth creeping to his chest and dripping down his stomach, releasing the butterflies, Kuroo slowly ducked down this time. Unlike the previous kiss on the cheek, which looked like a rooster swooping in for his food, Kuroo took his time in planting his lips on Yukimi’s cheek, akin to the kiss she gave him earlier in the morning. Lingering his kiss a little, the two held each other’s gazes as they stood on the side of the hallway. “It’s really nice kissing you on the cheek.” Kuroo mimicked her cheeky smile and walked in front of her, this hands still joined.

While looking at Kuroo’s broad back, Yukimi tried calming her heart by letting out a soft sigh. With red cheeks and a lowered head, Yukimi murmured under her breath, “Now that’s really unfair,” as her heart palpitated in a discord of tumultuous beats.


	19. YOU'RE FINE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be some errors here so take note that every chapter in this fic is still unedited and I am planning on fully editing this once all of the chapters are posted.
> 
> Happy reading !!
> 
> tw // panic attacks.

Just like their first match, their match with Kokusai Koko gave them another step closer to reaching their goal for this year’s InterHigh — to step on the finals and secure their position in participating in the orange national stage. Though it was very much like their match with Hachioji, where they secured their win with the first two sets, Kokusai proved to be a worthy contender for a team that was expected to win from their own match. The favor was on Kokusai at the beginning of the first set, making the opponent team have an advantage against Nekoma, however, since Kenma started to notice the little things about the opposing team, this lead to Nekoma catching up with them in terms of solidifying their receives and making the rallies last longer than their match with Hachioji.

With a fleeting win of two sets against one, Nekoma decided to pack their bags and return to Nerima after a series of goodbyes from the players of Fukurodani. Yukimi even exchanged numbers with some of the members of the volleyball team, earning quite a reaction from them (mainly Bokuto because he was the one bragging of getting a pretty girl’s number straight into Kuroo’s face, who retaliated that he already has Yukimi’s number beforehand). Of course, the only purpose of her taking boys’ numbers was because the horned-owl captain begged her after witnessing the girl ask for Yukie and Kaori’s numbers. Everything ended on a happy note as the Nekoma volleyball club boarded their minibus and slept like logs the whole trip back to their school.

It was safe to say that Nekoma is one of the many teams who qualified for the second round of the InterHigh preliminaries.

It was now Wednesday and now that July is fast approaching, Yukimi was swamped with a ton of assignments, school works, and responsibilities of being a manager of the volleyball club. She was internally shocked that her classmates didn’t display the kind of anxiousness she felt brewing in her mind and stomach as she witnessed them having lighthearted interactions in the classroom. It felt like that she was the only one panicking and not balancing her time well when almost everyone in the class participated in a club, it doesn’t even help that her position in her own club was only the manager and not someone important. The previous days, all she could ever think of was that she’s not someone special and significant to think that she couldn’t manage her time when she wasn’t even doing anything impactful.

Lunch break came and as usual, Yukimi stood up from her seat with her wrapped bento in hand, and one of the cherry blossom trees in the grassy courtyard in mind. When she was about to head out of the room, Kuroo called for her name, making her turn around to the dark-haired boy curiously. Surely, there wasn’t anything to make a report on the club members and InterHigh, right? She submitted that on the afternoon practice on Monday, already crossing it out from her packed to-do list.

“Is there something wrong, Kuroo?” she asked, looking up at the said boy with raised eyebrows. “I already submitted the weekly report on the club to Coach Nekomata.”

Kuroo rose an eyebrow before laughing, flashing a dazzling and gentle smile on Yukimi. “I know about that and as far as I remember, there weren’t any reports, drills, or diets you have to present to the club right now,” he told her, then, waving his own lunchbox in front of the girl. “I was about to invite you to lunch since you have been eating alone since we were in year one.” When Yukimi opened her mouth to say something, Kuroo immediately rambled with a worried face. “I didn’t mean for that to be offensive, it’s just that I really want to eat lunch with you, too. And don’t worry, it’s only the two of us today since being with the others might be suffocating for you, you know, being the club’s manager. Their faces every morning and afternoon are enough for you as it is.”

Yukimi chuckled, finding a flustered Kuroo adorable. “I didn’t take it as an insult, Kuroo,” she reassured with a smile. “I’m really happy that you want to have lunch with me today.” She then tugged on Kuroo’s sleeve, pulling him outside of their classroom. “Come on, let’s go to my favorite spot on the campus.”

The messy-haired lad let himself be pulled to the school’s courtyard, his grin never leaving his face. It was quite funny in his mind, a girl shorter than the members of his club pulling a six-foot-tall student by the sleeve. He can envision that time at the beginning of the year when physical exams came and Yukimi was mourning for having a height of 160 cm, belonging to the shorter side of the female population in the class (or year-level). Some of their classmates gushed about how cute their prized Kazahana-chan is when the class representative took note of her height, well, he was one of those people who gushed but in his case; he had to do it mentally. He noticed how he can perfectly place his chin on her head, with her small body being caged in his arms, just like what he did by the vending machines on the first round of InterHigh.

Kuroo Tetsurou is officially a sucker for anything Kazahana Yukimi.

“Here we are.”

Her voice pulled him away from his thoughts, his face reddening since he was imagining a scenario where Yukimi had to stand on her tip-toes to get a kiss from him. It was definitely adorable but when the subject of your imagination was standing right in front of you and looking at you expectantly, Kuroo couldn’t help but feel embarrassment creep in his throat. He noticed that they were standing on the grassy part of the courtyard and under the shade of the cherry blossom trees — the exact place where she read their letter. So this is where she always enjoys her time every lunch break. Unconsciously, a smile lifted up Kuroo’s lips as he let himself be pulled once again to sit on the grass.

The two of them were sitting across from each other, with their lunchbox settled in the middle of them. Kuroo noticed how Yukimi tried finding a comfortable position since her skirt kept riding up, showing a hint of her spandex shorts to Kuroo and to the other students eating their lunch in the courtyard. He then closed his eyes as he leaned forward a little, never catching sight of how Yukimi flushed while admiring his stunning profile, and slid his arms out from the sleeves of his blazer. Going back to his regular sitting position, Kuroo carefully placed his navy blazer on her lap, leaving him in his long-sleeved shirt and striped tie.

“Sometimes, I hate how short the skirt of the girls’ uniform is,” he told her, placing his chin on his hand after propping an elbow on his right knee, making him eye-level with Yukimi. “They should have lengthened it a little.”

“Thank you,” Yukimi uttered, a smile lighting up her face in the most brilliant way possible, butterfly wings then fluttering against Kuroo’s stomach. She ducked a little to unwrap her bento, displaying her carefully prepared lunch, which made Kuroo shy for some reason since his lunch consisted of the onigiris his father tried to make for him, not that he was ashamed of his father’s cooking. In fact, his father was a decent cook but the sight of Yukimi’s mouthwatering bento made him want to hide his too-large onigiris.

Then, a lock of hair getting loose from Yukimi’s ear caught Kuroo’s eye. Taking his chin from his hand, he reached out and carefully brushed his hand against her cheek, tucking the stray lock of hair back behind her ear. For a minute, they only looked at each other; with Yukimi looking up at Kuroo wide-eyed while Kuroo held his half-lidded gaze intently on her. With a pounding heartbeat, Kuroo slowly leaned forward, his eyes traveling from her caramel brown irises to her peach lips. The moment he heard the sharp intake of breath from the girl in front of him, he stopped himself from doing something he most likely gets hated for and instead, lowered his head even more until his forehead was pressed against her left shoulder.

“Are you alright, Kuroo?” Yukimi asked in the softest whisper, her hand gently patting him on the back.

He closed his eyes and cursed himself for acting so impulsively; staying right where he is, nestled between her shoulder and neck. The watermelon scent from Yukimi’s perfume didn’t even calm him down, it made his heart race even more as the said girl continued giving him rhythmic beats on his back. It was just once upon a time where he could only wish for moments like these to happen and now it was all so dreamlike, he never once thought that he can hold hands with Yukimi, ‘casually’ place his head on her head or shoulder, or even walk her all the way home. In actuality, Kuroo thanked the stars and moon for throwing away that Kagami boy and for giving him a chance.

“Did you overwork yourself again?” she continued, her voice greeting Kuroo’s ear. At this, Kuroo shook his head against her shoulder, reminding the girl of a puppy. “Are you tired?” Once again, he shook his head, making her chuckle a little. “Let’s eat our lunch, okay?” The messy-haired boy then slowly nodded his head before lifting it from Yukimi’s shoulders, the sight of him pouting with droopy eyes greeting her vision. It took every ounce of restraint from Yukimi not to pinch his cheeks so she went for smiling at him instead.

The two of them proceeded to take bites of their own lunches, the sound of the breeze against the trees’ branches being the only sound ensconcing over them. Even though nobody talked, the air around them is still lighthearted as they stole glances from each other before laughing at their stuffed faces. They were just two people enjoying each other’s company, not minding that most of the students passing by them started whispering amongst their circles, probably spreading rumors that the two are dating or doing so much more. For Kuroo and Yukimi, the other people are irrelevant when they are in their personal bubble.

“You want to try the omurice?” Yukimi asked, remembering that she basically bragged about how her mother’s omurice was the best from all the omurice recipes she tasted. She carefully took a portion of the food with her chopsticks and hovered it in front of Kuroo’s mouth, her other hand cupping underneath to catch some falling rice. “It’s the best, I promise!” As Kuroo opened his mouth after giving her a warm smile, Yukimi placed the omurice and waited for him to give his feedback. The moment Kuroo’s eyes sparkled as his smile grew sent a wave of wholesomeness to her heart. “You like it!”

Kuroo nodded enthusiastically. “It’s delicious, Hana,” he told her, receiving a large grin in return. “You really are not kidding when you said it’s the best. Now that I tried your mom’s omurice, you’ll have to try the onigiri my dad made.” With a cheeky grin, he lifted the onigiri, which was the size of his closed fist.

“I think I’m worrying for my jaw right now,” Yukimi voiced out as she stared at the onigiri.

The messy-haired boy snickered, looking at the onigiri before planting his gaze at the short-haired girl. “Here, say ‘ah’,” Kuroo teased, nearing the rice ball on Yukimi’s mouth. The girl sighed a little and gave in to Kuroo’s request, placing her hand on his wrist, then taking a bite on the onigiri. “See, it tastes better than it looks, right?” He asked after getting a glimpse of the girl’s approving face, which is her slowly nodding while chewing the rice ball. “Hey, you got some rice here.” Kuroo reached out his hand and wiped the rice from the side of Yukimi’s lips, his thumb grazing her bottom lip unintentionally, spurring his face to heat up.

“Thank you,” Yukimi breathed, stuffing her face with some omurice to hide the fact that Kuroo made her a flustered mess. Kuroo could only smile at her before continuing his lunch. “I forgot to ask, where are Yaku-san and Kai-san? They usually eat with you every lunch period.”

Kuroo glanced at her. “They left me behind, something about eating in the cafeteria for a change. I don’t like the cafeteria so I told them to eat without me but they straight up told me that it’s completely fine and that I should eat with someone else this lunch period.” Of course, he chose not to mention the fact that Yaku wore a proud smile as he stage-whispered at the taller boy about eating lunch with his future wife, resulting in Kuroo nearly plummeting Yaku if Kai didn’t show up a few moments later.

“That explains it,” Yukimi nodded as she stuffed her face with a huge mouthful of omurice, partially squealing at the taste right after (even though she ate the food almost every day in her life). “Yaku-san immediately stood up when the lunch bell rang.” She chuckled as she remembered the libero running out of the room after whispering some things to Kuroo. After she sobered from her small giggling fit, Yukimi stared at the half-eaten bento box with a pensive face. “I sometimes wonder what it feels like to have friends like them.” Once she realized that she almost indulged Kuroo with her insignificant thoughts, Yukimi shakily laughed and waved her hand in front of her face. “I’m sorry, that just appeared in my mind. Please, don’t mind it. I don’t want to spoil the light atmosphere.”

Pursed lips tugged on Kuroo’s face as he took in the desolated expression on Yukimi’s face.

It was true that the short-haired girl can befriend any person in their school but it doesn’t change the fact that at the end of the day, she was always alone, no matter how kindhearted and sincere she truly is. Kuroo couldn’t help but think that things would be more different now if only he had approached her at the beginning of their first year in Nekoma High. She wouldn’t be this alone if he didn’t let her hover from one circle to another, because it definitely hurt when she would try so hard just to fit in with the other people in their year-level. And now, with her cutting ties with that Kagami boy, the caramel-eyed girl subtly avoided his group of friends and only interacting with them when necessary. They were even some of her closest classmates but because of the awkward atmosphere Romio radiated, Yukimi chose not to trample with the tight-knit relationship the group has.

To be honest, it pinched his heart to see her trying to enjoy their last year of high school when all Kuroo wanted was for her to replace that dejected face with a genuine smile.

“Yakkun and Kai are your friends, Hana,” he started, trying to meet with Yukimi’s eyes, which was still trained on her bento. “The entire volleyball club is. We’ll immediately come to your aid when you call for us and we’ll always be here to listen to your problems. If you’re saying that nobody really knows you unlike our classmates with their own friends, then I’m willing to get to know you better; so tell me all the things that you find captivating, your weaknesses, and even your most-prized secrets. If they,” he nodded towards the other students, who he noted were some of their classmates, laughing with each other, “don’t see how much of an amazing person you are, then they’re clearly missing out on something extraordinary. Because since the moment we spent our time together, you never fail to make me the happiest every single day.”

Yukimi sniffed, her eyes teary as she lifted her gaze to meet Kuroo’s. “Thank you for being my friend, Kuroo,” she told him, her smile golden as tears dripped down on her cheeks. “I never got to say it but thank you.”

The messy-haired boy panicked at the sight of Yukimi crying as he quickly patted his pockets, in search of his handkerchief. “Why do I have to leave my handkerchief on my desk?” he muttered, glancing worriedly at Yukimi who was still crying. “And Yakkun’s the only one with a pack of tissues in his bag.” Taking a deep breath, Kuroo leaned forward while reaching out his hands to cup her cheeks. He then wiped the tears on her cheeks with his thumbs, causing the short-haired girl to cry even more because of how tender Kuroo’s actions are. “Hey,” he whispered, nearing his face to hers, “cry it out, Hana, I’m right here.” His half-lidded focused solely on Yukimi as he placed his forehead against hers, trying to let the girl match his breathing since she was starting to hyperventilate in silent pants.

“I’m always here.”

* * *

“Did you cry, Yuki-chan?” Natsumi asked her daughter once she took a good look at the younger girl’s face. High school students nowadays were often subjected to bullying, at least from what her coworkers told her, so with this in mind, the older woman gasped when Yukimi entered the restaurant with swollen eyes. “Did someone bully you? Just tell me their name or appearance and I won’t hesitate to barge into Nekoma’s gates.”

Yukimi laughed shakily at her mother because the truth is, after crying in front of Kuroo during lunch, she unknowingly fell in her usual pit of melancholia as she rode the train home after practice. It was suffocating, sitting inside a stuffy vehicle, and biting her lips just to prevent herself from full-out sobbing in the train. She can only breathe the moment she stepped foot on the station, tasting the familiar coppery tang of blood on her lips, which she regretted because it became painful as seconds ticked by. On her way to the restaurant where her mother told her they would be eating dinner, Yukimi tried to tidy up her appearance by wiping her eyes with her hand and running her fingers through her hair.

Knowing her mother, she would eventually throw a fit if Yukimi didn’t tell her what exactly happened.

“I,” Yukimi trailed off, looking at anywhere except her mother while her mind ran miles in thinking up excuses, “Uhm, the day was just sad for me, that’s all.”

Now, Natsumi regretted pestering her daughter.

It was always so sad to witness her daughter slowly becoming detached from other people when they transferred to Tokyo and there wasn’t a night where she didn’t cry from hearing her own daughter sobbing just down the hallway. She always had an idea that her daughter was always putting up a front for strangers and especially for her so that she wouldn’t have to worry, but it was starting to gnaw into her mind that she has been doing her job poorly as a parent when Yukimi became closed-off even in their home. Hearing her daughter’s words that her day was sad meant something more and it made Natsumi wish that her dreamer of a husband was still here to help her prevent Yukimi from becoming a shell.

Taking a deep breath, Natsumi placed her hand on top of Yukimi’s. “I love you so much, sweetie, and I’m so proud of you for getting through the day,” she told her, a warm smile on her lips while watching her daughter take sips from her banana milk. It’s a good thing that she requested the drink to be served first because her daughter definitely needed the boost.

Yukimi felt her eyes getting blurry from her mother’s statement. It was something she never knew she needed until it fell from Natsumi’s lips. It was also something that the older woman would tell her when her doubts start clouding her mind and every time, she would encase her heart with those words, carefully caging it with a cocoon of comfort. This was uttered to her when she got accepted in Nekoma and ever since then, it wasn’t just a phrase for her.

Their food was then served, making Yukimi brighten up at the platter of meat on the table. The younger girl didn’t waste any second in diving in the food, dipping the cut-up steak in the savory sauce before putting it in her mouth along with a mouthful of rice. The two then enjoyed their dinner together since having their meal outside of the corners of their home appeared to be very rare these days. Natsumi relayed everything that happened to her day, which Yukimi enthusiastically listened to because her mother’s coworkers all have their own unique personalities, which greatly piqued the interest of the younger girl.

“So, how was managing the volleyball club? I heard that they got past the first round of the tournament!” Natsumi eagerly voiced out, her chopsticks lodging a good amount of noodles in her ramen bowl. “I have been so busy in the office lately but my coworker told me that your team made it.”

The short-haired girl looked up at from getting a serving of stir-fry vegetables to her plate. At the mention of the volleyball club, she looked away and blinked a couple of times to regain her thinking. “The team is doing great, they’re following the training regimen I came up with and they’re diligently eating the diet I suggested to the coach,” she filled in, her expression still troubled. “But,” she trailed off, making Natsumi lean a little forward to hear her daughter’s words because the younger girl’s voice became smaller, “I’m planning on quitting after InterHigh.”

Natsumi nearly spat the soup. “What?! But you look so happy with them, Yuki-chan!”

“I have to focus on studying for the college entrance examinations this year, Mom,” Yukimi replied, lightly playing with the vegetables on her rice bowl. “It’s one of the reasons why I didn’t join any clubs this year. You always know how I couldn’t manage my time well and with the upcoming college tests, my anxiety has been acting up lately and it doesn’t sit right with me that I’m not doing anything about it. Mom, I have already made up my mind about this.”

“Have you talked about this to your club members?”

That made Yukimi pause.

Just the thought of the disappointed faces of the Nekoma volleyball club when she announced that she will be quitting bubbled guilt in her stomach. It all sounds so selfish, she has to admit but this is her future she’s talking about and according to her father, being selfish sometimes and giving time for yourself isn’t exactly a bad thing. The ongoing question of her continuing her managerial duties in the club caused Yukimi to come up with various reasons why she joined; did she join this because of how it would look good in her college applications? Or did she join the volleyball club because Kuroo and the others expected her to say yes? All this time, she finally realized that she has never put much heart into her role, and because of this, she already decided that the club wouldn’t have any use with a half-hearted manager.

How could she even have the face to tell Daichi to continue being captain when she, herself, doesn’t have any guts in staying her own club after InterHigh?

Yukimi only shook her head at her mother’s question.

It almost seemed like she shook her head because of how disappointed she was of herself. Every day was spent with her almost giving up on the things that make her feel like herself and she was so tired of it.

“Sweetie,” Natsumi called out. “I won’t try to convince you to stay in that club because it’s your decision if you don’t want to and I respect that, but please, take your time in thinking this through. You are already brilliant student and person. If it means having you stay that way because of that club, I will always be grateful for Kuroo-san in inviting you there. Personally, I don’t want you to quit because you become the best version of yourself while being with them.

“Before going along with your impulsive decision, think this through, Yuki-chan.”

* * *

That night, Yukimi immediately excused herself from her mother before dashing to her room. Natsumi didn’t even have the chance to invite the younger girl for some late-night desserts since the latter came up with a hasty excuse of studying for an upcoming quiz. Realizing that she was nosy the entire dinner, Natsumi sighed as she went inside the master’s bedroom to set up her workspace. All of her frustrations and muddled thoughts were let out as she started working on an assigned project, which will be presented at the end of the week but seeing as she needed to do something tonight, Natsumi figured that working on it will keep her thoughts calm down a little bit. Stopping for a minute to stretch, the older woman breathed deeply as she looked at the digital clock by her night table.

One thirty in the morning.

Might as well get some sleep before going to work tomorrow, Natsumi thought. However, since she started working the moment she sat down on her desk, Natsumi wanted to wash up a little before going to bed. Now refreshed from her half-bath, the older woman stopped in front of her daughter’s room. Her eyebrows furrowed at the small sliver of light peeping through the bottom of the door. It was practically a new day and Yukimi was still studying, was what she concluded as she slowly opened the door to the younger girl’s room.

But a trembling Yukimi greeted her, squeezing her heart tightly in her chest. The short-haired girl was laying on her bed without the covers, her textbooks and notes scattered all over the low coffee table, and Natsumi could hear the sobs coming from her. Silently making her way towards the light switch, the older woman turned off the lights, making Yukimi gasp in surprise. Feeling her own tears cloud her vision, Natsumi walked to Yukimi’s bed and sat beside the girl.

“Mommy’s here, sweetie,” she told her as he ran her hand through her daughter’s hair. Reaching for the night table beside the bed, the older woman turned on the cloud nightlight her husband bought for Yukimi on her thirteenth birthday. Then, she proceeded to lay down beside the smaller girl’s body and tightly wrapped her arms around her. Natsumi then gently planted a kiss on the side of Yukimi’s head, murmuring, “I love you so much,” with the yellow glow of the nightlight warming up the room.

It was the first time Yukimi ever slept so peacefully in weeks.


	20. A TICKLISH HEART.

Nekoma lost in the InterHigh.

The team had high hopes in going past the fourth match but it only led to them being placed in Tokyo’s top eight. All of the club members were stuck in a state of shock as the final whistle of the referee screeched in their side of the gymnasium. There were shouts of joy from the other side of the net while the Nekoma team beheld frustrated faces and clenched fists. Almost everyone, even the players of the bench, had unshed tears in their eyes as they lined up to thank the audience for watching their game. Throughout everything, Yukimi decided to give the members words of comfort but no matter how much she voiced them out, the boys would blankly nod at her.

The next day came and the atmosphere surrounding the volleyball club members radiated gloominess.

On the first-year floor, Inuoka, Shibayama, and Teshiro all had their eyebrows furrowed while being in their respective classes, trying to listen to what their current teachers droned in front of the room. The first of the three exasperatedly scratched his head as he remembered how the other team spiked through his blocks like it was nothing while the latter two mauled over how their seniors looked after their loss. On the second-year floors, Taketora had his forehead placed on his desk, his teeth gritted at the amount of times he was blocked every time he asked for a toss from Kenma. The latter, however, along with Fukunaga, wore indifferent facades while listening to their classes, but their classmates still felt how more reserved they were when they stepped inside their rooms.

The third-years were a different story.

Kai still diligently listened to his lectures with a faux smile however, he couldn’t shake the fact that they were still so behind compared to the other teams when it comes to going to nationals after experiencing that defeat. Yaku was clenching his fist on top of his desk and would occasionally look up at the ceiling, so lost in his own thoughts that the teacher had to repeat on calling his name. He should have saved so many attacks, he had so many opportunities in keeping the ball back into play, and he couldn’t stop thinking that they actually had a chance if only he didn’t make shabby receive after shabby receive. Meanwhile, Kuroo had his chin propped on his hand while the other one twirled his pen. He really wanted to stay in the volleyball club but being in the college preparatory classes meant that the teachers will be breathing on their necks, trying to make them study for the upcoming college examinations. It was so hard for him to just let the club go. He still has an unfinished goal for the coaches and the growth of his team. His time as captain wouldn’t end just this soon.

“Class dismissed, everyone,” the teacher announced from the front of the room as the lunch bell rang.

This caused a chorus of chairs scraping and students inviting their friends for lunch. Standing up from his seat, Kuroo stretched his arms before taking his lunchbox from the bottom of his desk. Right when he was about to ask Yukimi to lunch, the teacher once again called out from the door.

“Kuroo, Yaku, Kazahana,” he uttered, catching the attention of their classmates. “Please follow me to the faculty room. This will be quick so you will still have your lunch break after we consult you one by one.”

Ah, here it is.

With an engraved answer in mind, Kuroo followed Yaku and Yukimi to the door. Upon stepping out of their room, the trio encountered Kai, who gave the three an encouraging smile. The whole walk to the faculty room was shrouded in complete silence, but this silence was something that he wasn’t comfortable with, especially if it came out in waves from the girl beside him. Now that he thought about it, there was something wrong with how Yukimi acted throughout the day and even yesterday afternoon when they were invited by the coaches for some food. Even though he really knew her for a few months, Kuroo had a feeling that she will most likely quit the club. Yes, it will probably hurt him and his members but he even tried putting himself in her shoes last night; a girl who was expected to get in one of the most prestigious colleges in Japan and a girl who studies more than anyone else in the school.

There is no denying how much Yukimi prioritized studying and staying in the top ranks throughout their stay in Nekoma High. While everybody was living their own life regularly, Yukimi was always on a pedestal and out of reach. Because of this, Kuroo really wanted her to stay in the volleyball club because in the short amount of time she became their manager, everything was like a breath of fresh air. He will always catch a glimpse of the happy Yukimi during their practices and that was what brightened up the gymnasium. So with that in mind, Kuroo reached out and laced his fingers through hers, making Yukimi look up at him with wide eyes. Squeezing her hand reassuringly, he continued staring at her with soft eyes that made her heart ache.

“Okay,” the teacher in front of them interrupted, making the four third-years look at him questioningly. “Kai-san, please enter first. The rest, kindly wait when Kai-san comes out of the room. Yaku-san, you will be entering next.”

Kai looked back at the three before smiling and following after their teacher. With their vice-captain being ‘questioned’, as what Yaku noted, Kuroo leaned on the window ledge in front of the faculty room, his hand still joined with Yukimi’s. He continued staring at the girl with worried eyes and pursed lips while she looked at anything except him, which made him concerned even more. Kuroo only did that until Yaku replaced Kai inside the faculty room, with the latter breathing a sigh of relief as he approached the pair.

“How did it go?” Kuroo asked Kai once the vice-captain reached the two.

Kai sighed. “It went well, surprisingly,” he answered while scratching the back of his head. “Sakuta-sensei bought what I said and I think I managed to be convincing with my reasons for staying in the volleyball club.”

At the last words, Kuroo grinned widely before laughing. “I knew it,” he told him. “Guess we’ll be spending the remainder of our year with the dimwits, huh?”

“What else?” Kai rhetorically asked, laughing along with the messy-haired boy.

When it was Yukimi’s turn, she turned to the three boys who looked like they were planning on waiting for her to finish. Thinking that she will probably delay their lunch, the short girl looked at them with a practiced smile on her lips. “You guys can go ahead,” she told them, making them simultaneously furrow their brows. “I’ll be right behind you.” She then turned around and walked to the door of the faculty room.

“Hana,” Kuroo’s voice made her turn around, her hand lightly placed on the door’s handle. “You are everything we need. Don’t forget that.”

Once again, Yukimi’s chest squeezed at the genuineness of Kuroo’s smile. The dark-haired girl bowed a little at the boys who made her third-year worthwhile and gently slid the door open, entering the faculty room and letting herself be blanketed with the smell of caffeine and various air fresheners. What surprised her when she neared the table for consultation was that it wasn’t Sakuta, their teacher who called for them, sitting on one of the chairs, it was Mahiru, the teacher who went with her to Tokyo University. The older woman had one look at Yukimi and immediately, a smile made its way on the teacher’s lips. There was no denying how fond the teachers are of the girl and it shows when Yukimi sat down in front of Mahiru since the woman offered a brownie to her.

“Ah, thank you, Mahiru-sensei,” Yukimi said, taking the brownie from Mahiru’s small box and immediately taking a small bite of it. She was hungry and she needed the small piece of pastry to silence her growling stomach because that would be embarrassing.

“You’re welcome, Yukimi-chan,” Mahiru replied, leaning back on the backrest of her chair. Then, she schooled her features into something more serious, making Yukimi stop munching on the small chocolate treat. “First off, will you be staying in the volleyball club?”

Taking in a deep breath, Yukimi opened her mouth to answer, “Yes, sensei, I am.”

Mahiru was shocked at how quick the younger girl answered, there was even no sign of hesitation in her voice as she uttered the single syllable with such a determined expression. It was almost as if the brilliant girl wanted to set aside her academics first and just enjoy her high-school life some more. “I thought you thought this through, Yukimi-chan?” she asked the girl. “I was really expecting you to focus more on studying for the finals and the upcoming mock exams for the universities. What made you change your mind?”

Yukimi nodded, her expression never wavering. “At first, I really wanted to quit because looking at the records from the previous years, the club has been doing so well without a manager,” she answered. “But I really wanted to be with the club members a bit more. I improved on working on myself because of them, sensei, and by being with them, I get to experience new things as well.” She stood up, the brownie still in her hand. “If this talk will only include that, I’m sorry to have disappointed you, sensei, but I’m choosing the club more right now.” Yukimi then bowed in front of the older woman. “Enjoy your lunch, sensei.”

Seeing Yukimi walk away from the consultation table, Mahiru hastily continued, “You’re a remarkable student, Yukimi-chan. You have been acknowledged by the school and have been offered so many scholarships at the moment. I really understand your sentiments of living your high-school life to the fullest but think about your future, should you really be doing these things when there are so many opportunities offered to you? You should concentrate on your studies a bit more because I don’t even think of seeing any merits with being a manager of a sports club.”

The dark-haired girl lightly looked back at the teacher with a smile. “Sensei, I didn’t apply as a manager for the volleyball club because of how it would look in my student records, I applied because I know I would never regret choosing this path in a couple of years. I would still manage my own time even though I have responsibilities in other clubs. Please accept my answer, sensei, because I don’t have any plans on changing it. Oh, and thank you for the brownie, sensei.”

The older woman stared at Yukimi’s back as the girl slid open the door and walked out to the hallway. Her gaze was set on her indoor shoes as she silently made her way to the stairs with a small smile on her face. After the amount of times she had her doubts, deciding that she would still be participating until the team reached the Spring InterHigh brightened up Yukimi’s mood and erased every single weight on her shoulders. Right when she was about to step on the staircase leading to the third-year floor, the dark-haired girl heard the familiar voices of Kuroo, Yaku, and Kai (mostly Yaku though), making her stop from continuing on the stairs.

“Do you think Yukimi-chan will stay as our manager?” Yaku asked the two, leaning forward on the window ledge and fixing his light-brown gaze on the students laughing in the courtyard. “Now that the three of us actually agreed on something, don’t you think this will affect us when she’s not there anymore?” The question was just something from Yaku’s curiosity but when Kuroo furrowed his eyebrows, the libero quickly straightened and patted the captain on the back. “Don’t worry, Kuroo.”

The messy-haired boy let out a groan as he let his shorter friend console him. “I guess we’ll find out during practice later. I don’t want to find excuses just to talk to her if she’s not going to be our manager anymore.”

“We understand, Kuroo,” Kai told him with a smile. “Yukimi-san has been a part of the team for a short amount of time and yet the underclassmen already attached themselves to her, that doesn’t exclude us.”

“You’re right,” Kuroo chuckled. “About that first-year who applied before the InterHigh, what are your thoughts about him?”

Kai perked up. “He seems promising,” he replied. “With the right amount of training, he will be one of the regular players of the team. Though I doubt it would be anytime soon since from what you told us, he doesn’t have any experience with volleyball. For me, it’s completely okay with him joining our practices. I guess it’s time for us to have a breath of fresh air with him around.”

Kuroo laughed before smirking. “Sounding like a true vice-captain. I’ll make sure to request the other first-years to tell the new recruit that it’s perfectly fine if he joins us in our practices. Now that our training camp with the Fukurodani group is fast approaching, we really need that new member to make them think that we actually have a secret weapon all along!” Both boys laughed along with Kuroo, all excited about the training camp that will be held in the second week of July. “Oh, and by the way, Yakkun,” the said boy hummed, “I will be leaving the first-year in your care!”

“What?!” Yaku exclaimed, glaring at Kuroo for making such a hasty decision. “I didn’t have a say in this!”

“Come on,” Kuroo reasoned out. “We all know that among the team, you’re the only one with the most caring heart to shelter and cater to the needs of the new members. Look at Shibayama, you did an amazing job keeping him in shape and training with him! Just think about the club, with you teaching that first-year the ways of teamwork and camaraderie, we’ll be invincible and you will earn a quite a respectful position on the team!”

Yaku didn’t look convinced as he narrowed his eyes at Kuroo before glancing at their silent friend beside them. Looking at the smiling face of Kai, the libero let out a deep breath. “Okay,” he answered. “I’ll teach him the ropes.” Kuroo cackled at that. “But,” he emphasized the word, “if he keeps irking until I explode, I might have to stop teaching him.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Yukimi smiled at their conversation and waited until Kai was called by one of his classmates, the other two have no choice but to follow suit and eat lunch in their own room. When their voices gradually decreased their volumes, Yukimi silently walked to their classroom and had a sudden idea in mind. For this to work, she would have to look somewhat downcast and indifferent. But knowing both boys, they will most likely see through her lie and would pester her all afternoon. It was still worth a shot. So with this set in her mind, Yukimi walked inside the classroom and made a beeline to her desk with a blank face. From the moment Kuroo and Yaku immediately looked at her, the dark-haired girl wanted to laugh at their faces, which looked awfully like dogs waiting for a dangling treat.

Once settled on her seat, Yukimi took out her lunch and unwrapped the handkerchief keeping it locked. Inhaling the grilled pork rib, the dark-haired girl couldn’t help but smile as she took a carrot slice and started nibbling on it. Enjoying her lunch with her phone set in front of her, Nekoma’s manager happily scrolled through her unread messages and occasionally replying to some of Daichi’s and Kiyoko’s messages.

It was a good thing that Kuroo didn’t talk to her the remainder of the afternoon classes because if the moment the messy-haired boy opens his mouth, Yukimi would have no choice but to tell him that she’s still their manager. However, even without words, Kuroo still shows signs of concern; just like the time she passed him the handouts for Social Studies, which the boy took as a chance to hold her hand lightly, or even sneaking some glances whenever Yukimi roams her eyes around the classroom. It endeared Yukimi to the point that she widely smiled throughout the afternoon lectures.

When the dismissal bell rang, Yukimi stood up from her seat after tidying up her things. Bidding goodbyes to her classmates, she hummed a tune under her breath while going out of their classroom, then stopping short when she caught sight of Kuroo casually leaning on the windows opposite the door. Flashing him a small smile, Yukimi wordlessly followed after the three volleyball club members to the school gymnasium, her hand gripping on the strap of her school bag. The four third-years didn’t even change their clothes when they entered the gym, practically skipping in going inside the clubrooms. The shouts of the lower years eventually stopped, with Taketora running in front of the four seniors with hopeful eyes, the first-years following close behind with the same expression.

Kuroo boisterously laughed. “The third-years will be staying, you youngsters,” he told them, making the first-years and Taketora let out a simultaneous ‘yes’. Kenma, knowing about the captain’s decision beforehand, rolled his eyes before looking at Yukimi with a slight frown. Kuroo, along with the rest of the volleyball club looked back at the only girl in the whole gym. “Hana, you’re still going with us to the spring tournament, right?”

Yukimi looked down to hide the huge smile on her face. After a few seconds of uneasiness, the short-haired girl looked up at all of them, giving them a glimpse of the beautiful smile she had been hiding, eliciting a chorus of awe from the other members. “I am,” she replied.

“ _Kirei_ -senpai!”

“Yukimi-chan!”

The first-years, Taketora, Fukunaga, and Yaku all hugged Yukimi, their laughs echoing in the gymnasium (except for Fukunaga who only smiled). Without knowing it, Yukimi felt her throat burn, and her vision becoming blurry. Nobody ever showed her this much care, except for her parents and Daichi back in the days, and it ached her to know that there are people who appreciated her and wanted her to belong in their small group. Holding back her small sobs proved to be harder than she thought because, in the next moment, the people in their group hug asked her a flurry of questions, all a product of their concern. Yukimi looked over the shoulders of Yaku and Taketora and sought out Kuroo with a pout. Seeing as it served as Kuroo’s weakness, a tender smile made its way to his face as he walked over to the small huddle, pulling Kai and Kenma with him.

Placing himself behind Yukimi, the captain joined the group hug, wrapping one of his arms around the shorter girl while the other one was firmly placed on Kai’s back. Kuroo looked down at Yukimi, mentally cooing at her adorable face, even though she was pouting as a way of holding back her sobs. “Hey, you’ll never be sad with us,” he told her, earning a laugh from the girl.

“I see that the third-years decided to stay,” Nekomata voiced out as he stepped inside the gymnasium, catching the attention of the students.

“Coach!” Kuroo exclaimed, looking at the two coaches dressed in their red tracksuits. “Can we start practicing?”

“Yeah!” Taketora shouted. “We’re pumped up now that _kirei_ -senpai is still the manager!”

Nekomata chuckled, happy that his team wasn’t too down in the dumps after the unfortunate events during InterHigh. “There’s no one stopping you boys so let’s start.”

“Osu!”

As the huddle dispersed, Yukimi received various words of comfort from the team. Kenma didn’t say a word but he clung on her sweater vest to catch her attention, giving her a rare smile before going back to giving his teammates tosses. However, Kuroo was a different breed than the boys because he stayed a little beside Yukimi, kissing her softly on the head. This left Yukimi blushing as she walked to the coaches, who were supervising on the drills. There was something she had to do and being the manager, she would be the one to carry this out. Stopping in front of the older coach, Yukimi called for both coaches after bowing.

“Coach Nekomata,” she uttered. “I’m thinking of doing something for the club and I need both of the coaches’ approval.”

* * *

It was Wednesday and walking on the first-year floor nearly made Yukimi squirm because eyes are following her as she tread toward her destination. She already asked a couple of second-years and first-years but they all replied in stutters and flustered sentences, all saying the exact thing — declining her offer of being the vice manager of the volleyball club. Almost every single student in the first-year department have clubs since it was a requirement for them to join one during the opening of their classes. So it was kind of hard to look for any student who didn’t partake in any club activities and Yukimi was starting to give up. She also asked the first-years in the volleyball club to help her with finding out some of the other first-years who didn’t have clubs yet. The list was so short that Yukimi almost groaned in disappointment.

Now, Yukimi really wanted to hide from behind her hair because the stares are making her self-conscious but unpinning her bangs from the side of her head would be a suspicious activity. That morning, the dark-haired girl noticed how her hair grew longer; it was now resting on her collarbone, growing out of its neck length. Fiddling with the application forms in her hand, Yukimi took a deep breath as she stood in front of one of the college preparatory classes in year one. Silently peeking inside the room, the girl was noticed by one of the students, who approached her with a blush.

“Uhm, senpai?” the first-year asked timidly. “Can we help you?”

“Hi,” Yukimi kindly told her junior. “I’m looking for,” she trailed off, looking at the list on top of the application forms in her hand, “Komorebi Hikari. Is this her class?”

“Oh!” the junior exclaimed, looking behind her. “Komorebi-san, someone is looking for you!”

The girl named Komorebi Hikari lifted her head from her phone and immediately choked on her orange juice at the sight of Yukimi smiling at her. “M–Me?” the girl pointed at herself, her cinnamon-brown eyes shifting from gawking at the senior in their room to her classmates. “Maybe it’s a different Komorebi Hikari.” She then laughed nervously, placing her orange juice on her desk.

The first-year who talked to Yukimi rose an eyebrow, her arms crossed on her chest. “Komorebi-san, it would be a huge coincidence if that was true.”

Hikari cleared her throat, standing up from her seat and carefully took her steps toward the smiling senior. The younger girl followed Yukimi to the hallway, looking up at her once they were face-to-face. She kept biting her lip in nervousness because just the presence of this upperclassman made Hikari’s heart skip a thousand beats, something that she rarely felt around people. There was just something alluring and magnificent about the older girl, at least that’s what Hikari concluded because Yukimi gained quite the attention from the students around them. Throughout Yukimi’s introduction of the volleyball club, Hikari was left in a breathless daze as she never strayed her eyes from Yukimi’s face. Hikari easily told herself that Yukimi is the prettiest girl she had ever seen.

“I’m currently looking for a vice manager to take after the position when we, the third-years, graduate,” Yukimi told her, smiling wistfully at the papers clutched in her hand before staring straight into Hikari’s eyes. “So I hope you’ll take up on this offer? Though, I didn’t prepare any sort of letter just like the invitation the club members did for me.” The younger girl nodded mindlessly at Yukimi’s question, bringing a dazzling smile on the older girl’s face. She clutched the papers to her chest, her mien glowing with gratitude that struck the passersby and even Hikari. Yukimi then bowed and offered an application form to the first-year. “Here you go, Komorebi-san! If you’ll excuse me, my friend is waiting for me to eat lunch with him. Have a nice day, Komorebi-san!”

A sillage of watermelon entered Hikari’s senses, coloring her face a lovely burgundy. She stared at the retreating back of the medium-haired girl, the butterflies tickling her stomach as she whispered under her breath, “I think I’m in love.”

* * *

Meanwhile, with Yukimi, the giddiness she felt from finding a potential vice-manager was immediately noticed by Kuroo as he chewed on the chicken lollipop Yukimi gave him. The two were once again settled under the same spot in the courtyard, peacefully eating their lunch. The girl just finished relaying to the volleyball captain what happened when she talked with Hikari. One thing that she could describe Hikari, it would be wholesome. She looks like any other high-school girl who just wants to live out her life, her smile lighting up her face, or the fact that her eyes sparkled in the short amount of time they talked. Komorebi Hikari was also someone that Yukimi could call pretty — with long auburn hair dripping in waves, a small face and lovely, sharp cinnamon-brown eyes, and a few freckles dotting her cheeks.

“So she just stared at you the whole time?” Kuroo repeated questioningly, an amused smile on his face.

Yukimi playfully narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s the only thing you picked up on?” the girl exasperatedly noted, rolling her eyes at the chuckle Kuroo gave her. “Not the fact that she’s such a sweet girl who will be perfect for the manager position of the club next year? Have I mentioned that she also looks trustworthy to be part of the volleyball club? Or the fact that she also looks absolutely adorable? She's shorter than me!”

“Who can blame her though?” Kuroo asked, his mirthful visage shifting into a tender one as he took the bobby pin keeping Yukimi’s bangs out of the way, taking it as an opportunity to twirl the locks of the girl’s hair around his finger. “With you standing in front of them, who wouldn’t be awestruck?” Seeing Yukimi blush, the messy-haired boy transferred his hand on her cheek, gently caressing her cheekbone with his thumb. “I—,” Kuroo cleared his throat and looked away from Yukimi, his face erupting in a bright crimson, “I know you’re beautiful so other people will most likely think of that, too.”

The medium-haired girl stared at Kuroo with her heart racing. This boy who wouldn’t fail to make her happy every day they have a chance to meet. The one who gave her hope in being herself with other people, who she know call as friends. The person who always took care of her; whether in written words just like a random post-it with sweet nothings, spoken utterances that will always render her speechless, or even gestures like holding her hand or giving her banana milk, which spoke volumes. Aside from that, he was also an amazing and hardworking captain to his teammates and an outstanding student recognized by the faculty members.

It didn’t take Yukimi a minute to realize that finally, she is starting to fall in love with Kuroo Tetsurou.


	21. THE ARRIVAL OF HAIBA LEV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is unedited (as always) so bear with the mistakes because I will be editing this before posting the new chapter,,, happy reading everyone!!

“Take care going to school, Yuki-chan!”

“Always, Mom!”

With a farewell to her father’s picture, Yukimi trudged on the driveway and to the empty streets, her usual bottle of banana milk in hand. Sundays are usually spent with a family outing (just like any other family in their neighborhood, resulting to the streets and houses having no signs of life) or for Yukimi’s case, locking herself up in her room with her revisions and textbooks (since their final exams are at the end of the week). She only started studying on Friday since last week was spent finding a new manager and it was going smoothly because the lessons they tackled during the second half of the first semester weren’t heavy, unlike the first half. Yukimi even finished studying one subject in one night and the whole weekend was spent in bliss as she diligently revised some of her notes and answered some problems in their lecture packets.

As for going to school on a Sunday, the Nekoma volleyball club requested not to take the week off even though they have their final exams, something about conditioning themselves before the summer camp held by the Fukurodani Academy group. Nekomata also asked for permission from the other faculty, with the other teachers hesitantly accepted, only to propose a condition that the members of the club should not have failing grades in any subject. The old coach only chuckled and confidently took the challenge, saying that the students are exceptional in their studies, seeing as they all boasted both high and normal grades, not forgetting to insert how the top student is still under his care. And for the day’s practice, the tall first-year will have his debut, and Yukimi was needed to monitor the boy along with Yaku.

The train was uneventful, as usual, because the medium-haired girl decided to travel to school early in the morning to help with setting up the gym. Comfortably walking towards the front gates of Nekoma, Yukimi smiled while climbing up the stairs leading inside the campus. Since her attire was already the club’s manager uniform, a white t-shirt, and the iconic red tracksuit, the girl continued walking until she finally reached the sliding doors of the gymnasium. Upon arriving, she was slightly shocked to see some of the lower years being there before her, making her chuckle at their enthusiasm in having the weekend practice. They were already doing their job in preparing the court for their practice.

“ _Kirei-_ senpai! Good morning!” Taketora shouted from the other side of the gym.

“Good morning, _kirei_ -senpai!” The first-years followed their senior’s greeting, all sporting the same admiring face they always bestow on their manager.

Giving all of them a heart-stopping smile, Yukimi walked inside the gym and to where she usually place her things during practices. “Good morning!” she greeted back. “Where are the others?”

Shibayama, who was carrying the rolled-up net, looked at her to reply, “Yaku-san told us he will be arriving shortly, he’s coming to school with Kai-san. Oh, and Kuroo-san and Kenma-san are probably taking the train right now, at least that’s what Kuroo-san told us in the group chat.” When he saw the manager walk towards him to help bring the net up, the first-year immediately went red in the face, his speech becoming stutters. “ _K—Kirei_ -senpai! You don’t have to help me!”

Yukimi grinned, still helping Shibayama with the net. “This is the reason why I came here early,” she replied. “Don’t worry, after this, I’ll be filling up the water bottles and take out the towels.”

This made the first-year libero flush an adorable shade of rose, which was still present until Yukimi excused herself from the group.

The medium-haired girl hummed a song under her breath while carefully lifting the cooler with both hands. Stopping in front of the water dispensers by the hallways of the gymnasium, Yukimi patiently filled up the water bottles one by one, thoughts regarding the club’s captain running through her mind. When she started to realize that she was thinking of Kuroo too much, Yukimi felt her heart pound in her chest. Being out of character, Yukimi groaned as she remembered the way she interacted with Kuroo during Friday; of course, it should be expected that a person would act awkwardly to the person that they like so throughout the whole day, Yukimi was a flustered mess while Kuroo talked to her normally. Also, her eyes would search for him in the hallways or during the afternoon practice — and every single time her eyes seek for him, Kuroo would always stare right back at her with eyes full of emotion. It was something that made Yukimi’s heart churn with feelings for Kuroo.

It was so refreshing when Yukimi discerned that she likes Kuroo since the feeling was completely different from when she was crushing on Romio. There are so many contrasting things that she can easily pinpoint; the most prominent being the person because now that she thought about it, Kuroo treated her with care, unlike Romio. And now, Yukimi doesn’t know if should feel happy and giddy at today’s practice (seeing Kuroo, interacting with him, and all) or nervous (afraid of being obvious about her newly-perceived likeness towards him). After picking up the towels from the second equipment room (Yukimi transferred every single towel, bib, and coolers since the storage room at the side of the court was filled with heavy equipment that the manager really wanted to avoid), the medium-haired girl walked back to the where the team is.

“He’s probably just taking his sweet time,” Taketora’s voice resonated from the court.

 _He_? They were probably talking about the first-year. Didn’t both she and Yaku advised him to be early for practices? It was more like Yaku was the one who strongly instilled that to the poor first-year while Yukimi was intentionally being protected by the libero, who made her stand behind him and reasoning that the younger boy might be another wolf who yearns for Yukimi’s attention, to which the girl only laughed at. But it seems like the first-year didn’t exactly mind being late since there wasn’t any silver head jumping darting around the gym as far as Yukimi could tell.

“He’s like a stray cat,” Yaku filled them in, laughing at the unintentional pun as he twirled a volleyball at the tip of his finger.

Yukimi also found herself chuckling as she placed the cooler on the floor and the towels on the chair beside hers. While minding her business, Kuroo kept looking at her with half-lidded eyes. He swore there was something different about the way the girl acted around him. If he could describe it, it would be more heart-fluttering, at least coming from his flushed face and palpitating heart whenever she stood just a few feet away from her or even uttering a single sentence to him. As his fingers expertly tied his shoelaces, Kuroo visibly admired Yukimi, who was now tying her hair up in a ponytail, something that the dark-haired boy always liked on her. To put it simply, ponytails enhance the beauty Yukimi already has. Then, a mewling sound came from behind him and Kenma, making them look back skeptically.

Why is there a cat in the gymnasium in the first place?

The answer to their question stood tall and proud with an orange tabby cat in his hands. Haiba Lev smiled widely at the entrance of the gymnasium before saying in a loud voice, “G’morning!”

Kuroo sighed a little, blinking at the odd combination of the tall boy and the adorable cat. “Waltzing in late like you own the place, huh?” It wasn’t meant to be anything offensive but Kuroo breathed an inconspicuous sigh of relief when Lev took it as something positive, judging from the large smile still painted on the younger boy’s face.

“Haiba Lev has arrived!” Lev announced, catching the attention of everyone in the gymnasium.

Thinking that the first-year should have a proper welcome, Yukimi stood up from her seat before placing her notebook and pen on the chair. She carefully walked across the gym until she directly stood in front of the tall first-year. “Hello, Haiba-san,” the medium-haired girl told him with a smile, causing Taketora to growl at the background, followed by Yaku scolding the second-year for being too aggressive. Yukimi shifted her caramel gaze from Lev’s awed face to the cat dangling in front of the boy’s stomach. “Where did you get this fella?” She slowly reached out a hand to pet the cat, the animal’s purring following immediately after Yukimi proceeded to place her fingers on its head.

Lev choked, breaking Yukimi’s trance in petting the cat and then staring at him in concern. “ _K—K—_ ,” he stuttered.

“Are you alright, Haiba-san?” Yukimi asked him worriedly.

“ _Kirei_ -senpai, you’re here!” he shouted, overjoyed at the thought of the pretty senior watching from the bench and oblivious at the murderous glare Kuroo was giving shooting at him (Kenma sighed and rolled his eyes at the chaos ensuing in the morning before walking away from his childhood friend). “I hope you take good care of me!”

“Of course, Haiba-san,” Yukimi replied with a warm smile. Then, Naoi called for every club member to start their warm-up exercises so that they can officially start their training regimen for the day. At this, Yukimi looked back at the other members, catching the gaze of Kuroo, who gave her a smile that made her breathless. She quickly face Lev again and tried to calm her racing heart while thinking that Kuroo should be illegal for making her feel this way. The medium-haired girl glanced at the cat before telling Lev, “Practice is starting so I’ll show the cat the way out of the gymnasium. You can play with him later, Haiba-san.”

Lev nodded before saying, “Thank you, _kirei_ -senpai,” and handing the cat to the girl, hastily joining the others in the huddle. When the silver-haired boy joined his fellow first-years, he was instantly met with Yaku’s chop on the side of his torso, making him sputter in his perch.

The medium-haired girl could only shake her head at the members’ antics whilst letting out a chuckle. She then looked down at the adorable feline, rubbing its head affectionately before walking out of the gymnasium and into the grassy courtyard of the school. Once outside, Yukimi couldn’t help but breathe in the fresh air and relish her solitude, staring up at the fair dome of the cotton clouds and the azure blue of the sky. The cat seemed to like her company, making Yukimi instantly snap out of her reverie and utter an apology to the mewling feline. Slightly feeling pensive, the medium-haired girl gave a soft smile at the cat. “It must be nice, huh? Being a cat and all.” She gave the cat a final ruffle behind its ear, standing up and patting her clothes right after.

Entering the gymnasium and hearing the members practice spurred Yukimi to walk faster and to jot down notes regarding the boys’ gameplay. It seemed like Nekomata completely didn’t mind her being late for the practice match and even told her to sit next to him and Naoi. As of the moment, Kenma gave a toss to Kuroo who did a quick right into Shibayama. Yukimi noted that the first-year immensely improved with his role of being the team’s second libero, as seen from the way he solidly received the ball with perfect balance in the soles of his feet. Then, Inouka executed a quick that was intercepted by Kuroo, earning the captain’s makeshift team a one-touch, to which Yaku dove on the wooden floor to save the ball.

“Everyone’s so pumped up, huh?” Naoi noted, staring at the boys with thoughtful eyes. However, Nekomata didn’t even lift a corner of his mouth unlike his usual cheery countenance as he looked forward with both of his arms crossed against his chest.

Taketora’s shout from the court made Yukimi look up from her note-taking. The ace managed to make a successful attack against Kuroo’s block, the ball flying towards the empty space beside Lev. With this, Nekoma’s consistent plays stopped when Lev only followed the ball with his eyes, reacting a few seconds late and having his knuckles save the ball. Yukimi could only look at the first-year disbelievingly, the words that he doesn’t have any experience in volleyball echoing inside her head. The manager then took down detailed notes regarding Lev’s inexperience and hastily making some annotations on how to improve the younger boy. With the current situation, there wouldn’t be any reason to put the tall boy in the regulars and Yukimi found herself sighing at the thought.

“You idiot!” Taketora yelled from behind the net, with the other members staring at Lev with varying expressions. “We told you to receive with your arms, you beanpole!”

Lev looked at the spot where the ball dropped on the floor before turning his head forward, his bright green eyes sparkling in optimism. “I’ll get it next time! One more time!” He yelled enthusiastically, a thing that Yukimi found endearing. It reminded her of that ginger-haired first-year Kenma befriended when they were in Miyagi. Now that she had a basic grasp on Lev’s personality, Yukimi then held a high regard for the first-year and it made her chest warm thinking that there is another member in the team she plans on taking care of and making sure they were doing well every practice (the other one being Kenma).

Naoi hummed from beside Nekomata, catching Yukimi’s attention. “He does have good sense, doesn’t he? Haiba Lev? That half-Russian heritage of his gives him height, length to his arms and legs, and great physical ability. Any one of those would put him at a clear advantage over Japanese people, but,” the assistant coach trailed off, now watching Lev perfectly receiving Inouka’s serve. The boy blatantly admired how his receive soared over the net.

“I did it! I did it! I did it, didn’t I?!” he repeated in a cycle, excited at the fact that he saved the ball. He looked at the other members and even at where Yukimi was seated at the side of the court. “Did you see?”

Kuroo, who caught Lev’s eyes on Yukimi, gritted his teeth while shifting his gaze back at the ball, which was traveling from Teshiro to Taketora. He couldn’t help but be angry in the slightest bit with Lev’s adoration for the manager so he shouted without thinking, emphasizing the two words more, “You _idiot_! Face front!” The dark-haired captain couldn’t block the ball, making it whiz past Lev’s head, which was still turned to the side obliviously. Kuroo looked at the first-year (who shifted his eyes to where the ball was now bouncing at the side) with eyes full of judgment before giving a quick glance at the medium-haired girl. Catching his golden eyes, Yukimi flashed him a beautiful smile with that exquisite blush he absolutely loves, rendering him breathless.

It’s as if everything vanished except for Yukimi.

“LEV!” Yaku shouted, prolonging the single syllable with a dangerous glare painted on his face, making some of the members hold back a laugh (Taketora) or snap from being in a tangled gaze (Kuroo).

Naoi sighed while closing his eyes and holding himself back from scolding the team for being too loud. “That personality of his,” he told both the older coach and the manager. “He doesn’t have the basics down yet either. There’s still much we need to teach him.” He then beheld a smile as he continued, “But, these are the prelim matches for Spring High. It should be interesting, don’t you think?”

Yukimi found herself nodding absentmindedly while never taking her eyes from the huddled team. Taketora was excitedly relaying some tips and compliments to the three first-years in his team while Kuroo took the lead in telling every single member of his team the things he caught on. From beside her, Nekoma murmured along the lines that he couldn’t have this. The medium-haired girl slightly furrowed at the coach’s remark, going back to watching the team practice in hopes that she could understand what the older coach meant. That was until she found herself watching Kenma give Lev a toss, only to have the first-year miss hitting it. The younger boy then proceeded to tell Kenma that he can almost hit some of the setter’s tosses, with the second-year denying every single remark the taller boy throw his way. This urged Kenma to walk away since Lev is starting to ask for more tosses from him, the setter becoming unmotivated if the boy will only miss hitting them.

Morning became afternoon and before Yukimi knew it, practice has ended for the day. The boys started tidying up the gym while Nekomata called for Yukimi in a private talk a few feet away from Naoi. “What is it, coach?” Yukimi asked once Nekomata faced her with a slight frown.

“Yukimi, regarding the practice match this upcoming Saturday,” the older coach started, looking at the team with a hand under his chin. “What is the success rate if Lev ever joined the regular lineup?”

The medium-haired girl was shocked that the coach of the team asked her this sort of question. Usually, he conversed this with the assistant coach but if Lev was involved, Naoi would most likely reject the idea the moment the older coach breathed the first-years name. “The success rate of Lev playing as a regular?” she echoed, eyebrows furrowed as she racked her brain at the possibilities. Nekomata nodded at her, eliciting a hum from the girl before speaking up. “Though I couldn’t exactly calculate the exact number, I can easily say that from what Lev has been showing us, the success rate falls approximately fifty percent. He can either mess this up or take this as a chance to further match up with Kenma before the practice match. Lev is also perfect to be paired up with Kenma, seeing as he genuinely tries his best and I think this will be beneficial to our setter, too.”

Nekomata nodded before turning to Yukimi with a proud smile. “So it’s decided!” he told her with a large grin. “Lev will be playing in the practice match. Thank you for your input, Yukimi. You’re as reliable as ever!”

Yukimi slightly bowed because of the compliment, thanking the older coach. Then, she followed Nekomata to where the team was waiting for the after-practice announcements. The caramel-eyed girl immediately took in a sharp inhale when she ended up face to face with Kuroo, her cheeks burning up for no reason.

“On Saturday, we’ve invited the local Kunihira Senior High team for a practice match,” Nekomata informed them, shocking the members. Kuroo even looked at Yukimi for the confirmation, with the girl smiling apologetically at the dark-haired boy. She perfectly knew how hectic it was since the practice match will be held between the last day of their exams and the first day of the Fukurodani group’s annual training camp.

“Now, sir?” Yaku voiced out the team’s worries. “But the Fukurodani group’s training camp is the day after that — this seems unusual.”

Nekomata only hummed and looked at Lev, who was standing at the side of the huddle. “And so, Lev, you try playing in that match.”

Everybody shouted in shock except for Nekomata and Yukimi. Once again, Kuroo looked slowly turned his head towards Yukimi for any sort of confirmation but the sight of her apologetic smile assured it. That’s it, they were doomed — at least that’s what Kuroo thought.

“Really?” Lev yelled out excitedly, making Yukimi chuckle at the adorable behavior the first-year showed. “Please leave it to me!”

Naoi, who blanked out at the bomb Nekomata dropped on them, looked down at the older coach. “Sir, it’s still hard for Lev to sync up with the tosses, it may be too soon for him to—“

“Kenma,” Nekomata called out, the said boy then widening his eyes, already dreading at what he expected the older coach to request to him. “Carve out some time to throw a few tosses for Lev.”

Kenma deadpanned and wasted no time in breathing out his response, “Impossible.”

“Impossible?! Why is it impossible?!”

Nekomata then dismissed the practice, saying words of encouragement before turning away from the group of teenagers, Naoi following after him like a duckling bustling after its parent. Kuroo then thanked the two coaches for making time for them during the weekend, the other members following his example. The dark-haired boy looked down at Kenma and shrugged with a teasing smirk. “You heard him.” Kenma only sighed at the newly added weight on his shoulders, making Kuroo chuckle at the sight of his childhood friend being his usual unmotivated self. The middle blocker then walked to where Yukimi was zipping up her bag, unconsciously smiling as he neared his distance from the medium-haired girl. Right when he was directly behind her, he dropped his voice into a whisper, “Hey.”

Yukimi felt her heart pick up its pace, blinking as she turned around to face the boy who made the butterflies in her stomach become so vibrant with life. “Hey,” she greeted back, her eyes soft as she looked up at the dark-haired boy’s handsome face. “Oh, I have something for you.”

Kuroo rose both of his eyebrows questioningly, watching the girl rummage for her bag once again. It sent a twinge of guilt through him since the girl appeared to be ready to go home for the day. Then, a can of the watermelon-mint soda he was raving on and on about since last month appeared before him, along with Yukimi’s smile. So this is why she excused herself in the middle of their practice earlier. The drink was still cold, seeing as the girl went out of the gym a few minutes before the end of their practice. It definitely made his heart flutter. At awe because of the girl, Kuroo slowly leaned down, nearing his face to her flushed one. He then closed his eyes and planted a lingering kiss on Yukimi’s cheek, pulling away slightly to look down at her arresting caramel irises. “Thank you, Hana,” he whispered tenderly that it made Yukimi’s chest constrict with emotions.

“You’re welcome,” Yukimi murmured right back, never straying her eyes from his golden ones.

On the other side of the court, Lev was in shock at what he just saw, turning to Yaku with bright red cheeks. “Yaku-san! A—Are _kirei_ -senpai and Kuroo-san dating?”

Yaku, who was helping Taketora take down the net, furrowed his eyebrows at Lev before glancing at where the captain and manager were having their intimate moment. “Oh,” he grinned, eyes sparkling at the sight of the pair. “They will be.”

“What?!”

The libero incredulously stared at Lev. “You think you can just hit on Yukimi-chan? Think again because those two are practically made for each other.”

Lev was left speechless, his first high-school crush dying right then and there.


	22. THREE SYLLABLES.

The next day, Yukimi came to school reading her notes. It was dangerous but it is a necessity since she has been so behind the lessons that her head would eventually burst. She wasn’t the only one exhibiting this habit early in the morning because almost every student, no matter the year level, does the same thing while walking to the main building. The medium-haired girl wasn’t completely aware of her surroundings and she nearly smacked herself on a tree if not for a hand wrapping around her arm. Knocking out of her studying trance, Yukimi looked up to thank the person who prevented her from having a concussion but blinked at the sight of Romio sighing in relief.

Now that she thought about it, she never had a proper conversation with the brown-haired boy except for when it was necessary, like being placed in the same group (which would set Kuroo to a glaring fit) or having the same class duties. Though with the time they spent together during these, Yukimi couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the awkward tension enveloping the room. The medium-haired girl bitterly scrunched her nose, never understanding how could she like this sort of person? Well, part of realizing you don’t have feelings for certain people anymore was when you try to comprehend your past self for being such a gullible idiot. And the more Yukimi stared at Romio’s features, the more incredulous she feels for having feelings for the boy.

“Kazahana, good morning,” Romio greeted her with an easygoing smile. “You look out of it though. Have you been getting enough rest? Knowing you, you probably stayed up late last night.”

Yukimi blinked at the boy’s remark. “Good morning, Kagami-san,” she greeted back, shifting her eyes from his face to the hand gripping on her arm. “I slept well, and, uhm, can you let go of my arm, please?”

Romio, who realized that he had been clutching on the girl’s arm for quite a while, flushed red and quickly let his hand fall on his side. He then scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish expression adorning his face. “Sorry,” he meekly replied. He stared at her in a daze, taking in her dainty features and marveling at how pretty she looks so early in the morning when he couldn’t even make himself presentable at such an early hour. The moment Yukimi blinked in confusion at the stretch of silence, Romio cleared his throat and looked away from the girl with his speech already stuttering. “Did you finish studying for the exams this week?”

The medium-haired girl slightly furrowed her eyebrows at the boy before taking a glance at the notebook on her hand. “As you can see, I haven’t,” she answered patiently. “How about you, Kagami-san?”

The brown-haired boy gulped while nervously laughing, finding some replies in his head on how to tell the girl that he already finished studying. It would be extremely rude to brandish his skills in memorization and revising when the person in front of him is known to be the school’s top student and is in fact still studying hard. “We just had a study session with Nao and the others. We would’ve invited you but Kanae told us that the volleyball club has been doing the weekend training yesterday.”

Studying in groups never actually appealed to Yukimi and she has been traumatized that one time she agreed to study with Romio and his friends back in year one. It was also for their finals in the second semester. Yukimi remembered not being able to talk to the others during their walk to the convenience store right around Nekoma, with the entirety of the friendship group and a number of studious classmates (who invited themselves) walking in front of her. What happened next was absolutely the reason why she refused to go to other study groups. Romio’s friends and some of their classmates weren’t even studying, in fact, she noticed that they already knew about the lessons they were about to review on, taking their initiative in questioning each other questions. They even intentionally asked her some hard questions, saying things like being the top student in their year should know the answers, or purposely ignoring her. Yukimi felt so small and she made up an excuse that her mother is coming home early just to go home.

Surely some of their classmates wondered why Yukimi would politely refuse the group studies with a well-practiced smile. After that event, the girl worked herself up to the point of exhaustion, drilling into herself how she should know the answers given that she is acknowledged as one of the top students in Nekoma.

“I’ll give that a pass, Kagami-san,” she lightly gave out a laugh. “I’d rather study in my own house.”

Romio chuckled along with her. “That’s a bummer,” he replied. “We could really use your help in mathematics, most of the problems in the study packet the teacher gave us were unanswered. Miyuki-chan, fortunately, discovered some of the answers online and we have to approach the mathematics genius in our class to help us,” the boy then waved his hand nervously, “not that you aren’t one, Kazahana!”

A light laugh colored the area where they stood. “I don’t even acknowledge myself as a genius, Kagami-san, and I probably wouldn’t be much help in any subject.” Her eyes then gravitated at someone making their way to them. As usual, his appearance, lopsided tie coordinated with the summer uniform, caused a whirlwind of butterfly wings to travel from her stomach to her chest. His golden eyes brightened when they found themselves meeting each other’s gazes but his face immediately turned neutral at the sight of Romio, making Yukimi want to explain that this was purely coincidental. “Ah, I really have to go, Kagami-san. The team has morning practice and I should be at the gym at this time.”

Romio hummed, following the girl’s stare. He then rose his eyebrows as Kuroo and Kenma walked towards them, the former looking like he stepped out of a magazine (which made Romio squirm in insecurity) while the latter never lifted his head from his gaming console. “I see,” he weakly told her.

“Kagami,” Kuroo nodded at Romio before looking at Yukimi, his eyes becoming soft around the corners. “Hana, let’s go.”

The girl nodded and bowed at Romio. Kuroo didn’t waste any time wrapping his arm around her waist as the three of them made their way to the gymnasium, with Yukimi walking between Kuroo and Kenma. The captain’s head was completely filled with thoughts about the girl talking to that good-for-nothing boy, he even caught Yukimi smiling during their conversation (which sent a churning wave of uneasiness in his stomach). Meanwhile, Kenma was showing Yukimi the game he really needed to finish, huffing at yet another loss on his part. The game was becoming boring in the second-year’s eyes and he was also losing all the thrill he felt while playing a strong opponent. The setter lent the gaming console to the manager, encouraging her to play since he remembered the number of games she has on her phone. In the end, Kenma was surprised at how Yukimi nearly defeated the giant monster and he was left gawking at the girl’s back as she walked towards the changing rooms.

“Oi, Kenma,” Kuroo called after he gave an affectionate squeeze on the girl’s waist, entering the clubroom. “Why do you look like one of those scared cat pictures?”

Kenma glared at him for the slight teasing before following his childhood friend. “Yukimi-san nearly defeated the monster that I have been stressing on,” he answered in his soft-spoken voice, turning into his locker to place his belongings before taking off his sweater vest and tie.

Kuroo looked at the setter with a disbelieving look on his face. “Hana?” Kenma nodded while unbuttoning his short-sleeved shirt. “The girl who is the sweetest and purest?” Once again, Kenma nodded, now taking out a black t-shirt from his bag.

“Her phone is full of games that I played,” Kenma told him, smiling slightly as he finished putting on the t-shirt. “Seems like she plays them during her study session breaks. He gave a stunned Kuroo a side-eye. “What? She didn’t let you borrow her phone?”

The dark-haired boy was in on a wild ride. First, the girl he absolutely adores talked to the one guy who hurt her, and now, the only person who she lent her phone to was his childhood friend. The next thing would be Yukimi tending to the new first-year as if she raised him. He grumbled under his breath, mulling on the many opportunities he could have if not for his shy nature towards the girl. This behavior of his continued as the pair walked to the gymnasium to start their morning practice, the rest of their team greeting him in utmost enthusiasm that sent Kuroo’s bad mood blazing even more. So immersed in his self-pity, Kuroo didn’t see how Yukimi cast looks of concern from where she stood beside the two coaches.

Nearing the end of the morning practice, the entirety of the Nekoma team stood on the side, with the exception of both Kenma and Lev, who were still trying to sync with each other in the court. At the moment, the second-year setter prepared himself in giving the first-year a toss, glancing at the younger boy from the corner of his eyes. Everybody watched as Lev stopped at a certain spot on the court before jumping at a tremendous height, his arms swinging backward, thus, giving him a perfect toss that matched up with how he executed his jump. Even Kuroo smiled a little at how Kenma analyzed the way Lev wanted his toss but his grin vanished when the ball made contact with the boy’s head instead of his hand. The ball however dropped just inside the out-of-bounds line.

“Ah, it’s in-bounds,” Inuoka muttered, stunned at how Lev wasted a toss and yet making it work.

Taketora pointed at the first-year, his face displaying teary eyes from laughing too hard. “Nice headshot!”

Lev turned around after hearing his seniors express their reactions on his orchestrated attack. He pointed to himself with his thumb and grinned ever so brightly. “One-man time-skip attack!” He exclaimed, pertaining his recent quick.

Every member of the team looked at him blankly for a few seconds, slightly unnerved at the enthusiasm the boy radiates that could rival even Karasuno’s number ten. Yukimi let out a chuckle under her breath as she tidied up the water bottles inside the cooler. While the manager was doing her job, Yaku also laughed under his breath, though this was shakier than Yukimi’s, as he stared at the first-year from across the gym. “I guess he _is_ a big-shot in a sense,” the libero muttered with sweat dripping down his brow. Kuroo scoffed in amusement as he placed a hand on his hip, turning from the pair on the court to shake his head.

As everyone gave themselves a good laugh, Kenma sighed at how tired he was on the court, thinking that he should be worrying over that game and how to get past the monster or even the exams at the end of the week. He took a glance at the others and purposely tried to catch Yukimi’s eyes to get him away from this situation but the third-year only smiled apologetically and mouthed that it will be finished in no time, with a cute and encouraging thumbs-up. Well, enduring it could be the only route in stopping this mess, Kenma thought as he rolled his shoulders and prepared for another failed quick attack with the tall first-year.

* * *

At the end of the day, the entire volleyball club (with the exception of some members since some of them reasoned that they were studying) decided to visit the convenience store right down the block, the sky coloring them orange. Kuroo and Kenma bought some snacks first before the others, the two of them now sitting side-by-side on the bench at the side of the convenience store. The dark-haired boy was holding a half-eaten ice cream while finding himself staring at the sunset in front of them, his mind completely filled with various thoughts that he wished he didn’t have at the moment. The younger two-toned boy was hunched over his game, still determined in beating the giant monster haunting his nightmares. The rest of the boys were still inside the convenience store paying up for the snacks (more like dinner but there’s some room in their stomachs for that later) they were craving for the day.

“Looks like you’ve got it rough, setting for Lev,” Kuroo voiced out after a few minutes of silence, his ice-cream slowly melting.

“Yeah, ever since he joined,” Kenma told him, the younger boy’s attention still on the game in front of him. “I haven’t really interacted with him.” It was true that Kenma never really paid much attention to the first-year who personally came to the third-years’ floor to request a position in the club, constantly thinking that forcing himself to socialize with a person completely different from him is too much work.

Kuroo agreed with a hum before looking at the boys just exiting out of the convenience store, his eyes set on the first-year they were talking about just a few moments ago. “You and Lev are like oil and water — I don’t see you guys mixing well.”

Once the others also positioned themselves on the bench and started munching on their snacks, Lev started a conversation while separating his chopsticks and stuffing his face with the tonkatsu he bought. “Just watch, please!” he told the others. “I’ll be ready in time for the next match.” As he chewed on the tonkatsu, he then envisioned how his sister would have a fit for eating a heavy meal before dinner but he waved it off, continuing on savoring his afternoon snack and giving his sister a reason that he is a growing boy.

Yaku looked at the silver-haired boy beside him with a teasing face. “Where does that confidence of yours come from?” he asked, to which Lev just stared at him in response.

Inuoka, who was on the other side of Lev, determinedly announced, “I’m also going to work harder so that I can become a regular, too!”

Lev then leaned to Inuoka, making their faces closer, with the latter keeping his distance by leaning back. “Well, I’m not going to be just a regular — I’m going to be the ace!”

Taketora, having heard the silver-haired boy’s declaration, jeered from his spot on the end of the bench, making Yaku cringe and steel himself in case there would be a fight between the two members. This also caught the attention of the two first-years, their eyes then plating themselves on the second-year. “People who can’t play decent defense don’t have the right to themselves the ace!” he exclaimed, eyes intensely glaring and grip tightening on his cup of ramen.

“But if I work super hard for the rest of the week with Kenma-san, then,” Lev told them in his usual bright voice, turning to Kenma on the other side of the bench. “Right?”

Kenma furrowed his brows, his fingers speeding over the controls as if his life depended on it. If that’s the case, then, his life really depended on it since it has been nearing zero with just one attack from the monster. His irritation surfaced as he answered, “It’s no easy feat to sync with a mess like you. I’m not Karasuno’s setter, after all.”

This spurred the others to relay their experiences with the said team of crows after Lev asked who this team is. Yaku took it upon himself to explain how the team consisted of eccentric first-years as well, describing Hinata as a shrimp middle blocker who can spike with his eyes closed and also Kageyama, who Yaku described as a monster setter who can match up with the shrimp’s fast movements. Their afternoon was colored with laughter as Lev proceeded to mock Yaku about being scrawnier than the shrimp middle blocker he talked about. It was just a regular moment for the volleyball club members, minus the other members who told them they’d be studying for the exams, with joking and riling each other up while Kuroo would comment on how youth looked so carefree these days (making him sound like an old man). The dark-haired captain snickered under his breath before finishing his ice cream, wondering what the Karasuno team is up to right now.

“By the way, where’s _kirei_ -senpai?” Lev asked no one in particular, his chopsticks wedging a piece of the tonkatsu. “She disappeared right after practice.”

“Yukimi-chan?” Yaku voiced out, staring at the store’s awning in contemplation. “She probably went home to study for the finals.” He then grinned at Lev. “Isn’t she amazing, Lev?” The libero overheard the first-years talking amongst themselves earlier while putting some equipment back to the storage room, his ears picking up on how Lev was bummed out that Kuroo seems to have a liking for the pretty manager he holds a crush for. He even contemplated telling this to Kai and Kuroo but knowing their captain, he would most likely punish Lev by giving him more drills than the others. With such vital information, Yaku decided to tease the younger boy a little more. “She has always been the golden girl of our school, you know?” And there Yaku knew his plan worked when Lev’s face erupted in a bright blush, making him laugh out loud and catching the attention of the others around them.

“U—Uhm,” Lev stuttered out, looking at anywhere but the eyes of his teammates. “I kind of agree with you on that, Yaku-san.” When he looked at the side, he visibly flinched when he met gazes with Kuroo, who rose an eyebrow at the change of topic. “I—I don’t like _kirei-_ senpai like that at all!” This earned a couple of disbelieving stares, especially from Yaku, making Lev fluster again for his words.

Yaku took a glance at Kuroo and grinned, to which the dark-haired boy rolled his eyes at. “Most of us in the volleyball club actually liked Yukimi-chan at first glance,” he told the boy with sparkling eyes. “So we completely understand, Lev. I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with our beloved manager.”

“Some tasteless bastards, that is,” Taketora mumbled after a mouthful of ramen noodles.

“A bastard named Kagami Romio, that is,” Kuroo muttered bitterly, sipping on his watermelon drink.

“Oh, hey, Kagami!” Yaku’s voice exclaimed right after Kuroo uttered the boy’s name. And true to the libero’s words, the very boy was a few ways from them, surrounded by his friends. The brown-haired boy stared at them for a few moments before waving, following his friends who decided to talk to Yaku before going inside the convenience store. Kuroo visibly blanched in embarrassment and nearly choking at the watermelon drink coursing through a different pipe in his throat. Beside him, Kenma ducked down and making his hair cover his face, only to let out a silent laugh at Kuroo’s idiocy. It was rare but it was really worth laughing at.

While the others laughed, Romio glanced at Kuroo, who was glaring at Kenma, and proceeded to furrow his eyebrows. It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by the second-year setter since the exact moment it happened, Kenma looked up from his small laughing fit. There was something about the way Romio narrowed his eyes that piqued his interest. Ever since that day where he and Kuroo spotted Romio with Yukimi, he would oftentimes notice how the brown-haired boy kept lingering around the gymnasium area or even try to approach the manager out of nowhere. Right when Kenma thought he gained a girlfriend after their beloved manager confessed to him, the boy would immediately make ways for Yukimi and him to interact. Though the setter appeared to be someone who doesn’t care about any of this, he still worries for his two closest seniors.

He really wants Kuroo and Yukimi to be together already and this boy still has the audacity to place himself in the girl’s life. And for what? Kenma has absolutely no idea and will never have the interest to know.

Before Kenma went back to his game, he found himself gazing at a familiar face walking towards the convenience store, her hands gripping on the straps of her backpack. His daze never broke until her cinnamon-brown eyes met with his golden ones, making Kenma’s heart drop in his chest and his cheeks to turn red. Meeting the girl again after two years really sent the setter’s heart to race because their first meeting together might not be the most memorable to some, but to Kenma, it was the first time he ever expressed any interest in any person other than the characters in his games.

* * *

“Kuroo, you’re not eating your lunch,” Yukimi told him while waving her hand in front of his eyes, which were staring at her in a reverie. The two of them are in their usual lunch spot and Kuroo kept staring blankly at the girl in front of him. The dark-haired boy has been like this since the start of the morning practice earlier and the medium-haired girl felt worry bubbling in her stomach. Did he overwork himself? Did he stay up too late, that’s why he was always in a daze throughout the morning lectures? Or did he catch a cold the day before? But he looked so healthy yesterday that Yukimi was starting to speculate the reasons in Kuroo’s sluggish behavior. “Are you okay?” She dropped her voice in a whisper, leaning forward to directly look at Kuroo.

With his usual half-lidded eyes, Kuroo continued staring at Yukimi until he slowly closed their distance, placing his forehead on hers before taking a deep breath. “Do you still like Romio?” he murmured so softly that Yukimi nearly didn’t catch it.

She pursed her lips and then letting the corners tug upwards in a tender smile. Having enough courage in her chest, Yukimi rubbed her nose against his ever so softly that it made Kuroo’s heart pinch. “Trust me, I don’t,” she answered. Yukimi then planted a feathery kiss on Kuroo’s left cheek before leaning back to her previous position, which is munching on her lunch.

Kuroo blinked after a few moments of stunned silence because one, Yukimi’s beauty really hurt him since it was known to be blinding and she had to do that to him and two, that endearing moment where she rubbed her nose against his and that heart-stopping kiss on the cheek — they were enough for Kuroo to malfunction. “Well, that made me breathe in relief,” Kuroo told her, purposely showing her how he took a deep breath, making the two of them laugh. “Really, since that guy has been talking to you quite a lot.” He emphasized it by widening his eyes as he picked up some cabbages. “What do you think crossed his mind?”

Yukimi looked up from stuffing her face with rice, making Kuroo laugh under his breath at how adorable she looked with chipmunk cheeks. After the dark-haired boy wiped some rice on the corner of her lips while gulping down the food, Yukimi voiced out, “It’s strange and it shocked me at first. They even invited me to study groups and you know why,” she paused slightly to inhale, “I don’t like going with them to those. But that aside, Kagami-san probably pitied me after rejecting me that time. It’s just innate in every person — finding out someone likes you but you don’t return their feelings is just a way for you to mull over your guilt by treating them differently than before.” Yukimi then took a glance at Kuroo, who looked so thoughtful. “He was just being his usual self and you don’t have to worry about that.”

The messy-haired boy smiled before looking down on the bento box on his lap. “I hope that’s not the case for me, then.” When he saw Yukimi blink in confusion at how low he uttered the words, he laughed while affectionately ruffling her hair. “Hey, don’t look so glum.”

“I do not,” she retaliated, eye softening. “You’re the one who looks glum.”

“Really?” Kuroo then grinned widely. “Which part of this is glum?”

Yukimi shrugged, a pensive look on her face. “It’s just your eyes — they’re radiating something different.” With a heavy heart and a bittersweet smile, Yukimi placed her chopsticks in her bento before holding Kuroo’s hand. “If I were the person you love, I’ll do anything and everything not to have you making that face — you’re radiant when you smile, Tetsurou.”

Kuroo looked at her wide eyes, head empty with thoughts except for what Yukimi said. It took every inch of restraint in the messy-haired boy’s body not to ask her for a kiss and confessing his love there. Steeling himself, Kuroo could only wrap his arms around the girl after putting their bento boxes on the side, embracing her warmly just like the very first thing that started what they have now.


	23. HIGH TEMPERATURES.

Bleeding noses — those are what greeted Yukimi when the team got back from their afternoon run.

She was preparing their water bottles when Kenma and Lev were being directed by Kuroo to go directly to their manager and the sight of blood dripping down her underclassmen faces sent a chill down her spine. It wasn’t that she was afraid of blood or cuts but Yukimi was left staring in disbelief, her brain coming up with the possible reasons as to why the two club members gained simultaneous nosebleeds. Kenma eventually told her with his head down that they tried to save that cat from falling down the tree, with Lev’s excited chatters that they successfully took down the cat after a strong gust of wind, but both of them shut themselves up when they saw how menacing Yukimi’s glare looked. It felt like they were being scolded by their mother, which was basically the girl’s position in the club — a joint operation between her and Yaku.

“Ah, Tetsurou?”

On cue, every single head turned toward the oblivious medium-haired girl, who just instructed the two to stop looking up at her and advised them to lean their head forward. Yaku was shaking Kai with a large grin on his face while the latter looked like a proud father with his head nodding in utmost approval. Kenma rose an eyebrow, feeling his lips turning upwards in a smile, glad that Kuroo finally managed to make Yukimi call him by his name, something that he really wanted since he was in year two. The rest of the Nekoma volleyball team, however, were stunned and they were looking back-and-forth at the manager and captain, who was wide-eyed and blushing.

“Tetsurou, can you please take out the ice-packs from the second equipment room?” she asked the dark-haired boy with a smile. A few minutes later, Kuroo returned with two ice-packs and some wet towels, handing them to the girl before standing right beside her as she placed them on top of the underclassmen’s noses. Yukimi then straightened from leaning forward and proceeded to cross her arms against her chest, making Kenma flinch and Lev to look at anywhere except for her. “All this damage just because of the cat? It’s not that I’m scolding you two, it’s just that you have to be more careful.”

A beautiful smile from the medium-haired girl greeted them, making the two sigh in relief through their mouths. From this, Yukimi suggested to the coaches that they should at least take a break for thirty minutes before being placed on the court for their daily practices. Patting the underclassmen’s shoulders reassuringly, the caramel-eyed girl looked up at Kuroo before gesturing for him to join the others on the court. The dark-haired boy only ruffled her hair affectionately, jogging to where his other teammates were calling for him to start on his serves. Yukimi contently grinned as she watched the team execute their serves, spikes, and receives, taking down notes on their improved mannerisms and adding a few recommendations here and there on her notebook.

The following days were hectic for all of the club members since the finals for the first semester started. Practice was postponed of course, with Nekomata saying that volleyball shouldn’t hinder them in their studies and that they should think that by passing the exams, they would get to play more of the sport until the end of the academic year. The younger coach also mentioned that if one of them doesn’t pass the exams, that member might have to stay behind and take the supplementary tests and lessons — completely missing on the training camp set for the team starting next week. This spurred everybody to review their notes diligently and answer every exam with careful demeanors. The lower years, mainly every first-year and the three second-years, asked for some advice from Yukimi on how to ace the exams. The girl enthusiastically relayed some tips that worked for her every test there is in her entire life as a student, the underclassmen eating them up and applying them in their study habits.

However, these exams seem to take a toll on Yukimi’s frail and unfit body because, at the end of the week, she found herself catching a terrible cold and fainting the moment she slipped on her house slippers by the genkan. It took quite a fright on Natsumi when she entered their house on ten in the evening with her daughter’s unconscious body draped on the floor. As every easily frightened person would, Natsumi screamed before carefully lifting her daughter from the floor.

“Yuki-chan?!” she called out to her daughter, flinching when she wrapped her arm around the girl’s neck. “You’re burning up! Oh, my God, were you here all night?!”

Aside from clumsy accidents, Yukimi was always prone to any kind of illness ever since she was young. There was one time where both the coughs and her asthma kicked in when she was sleeping and her parents had to rush her to the hospital. It made her father cry in the waiting room because it looked like Yukimi was not breathing anymore, only coughing up phlegm and panting like there was no tomorrow. During middle school, she also had random nosebleeds, and one incident which couldn’t be erased from any person who witnessed it, was when they were taking their exams and a drop of something red on her test paper stopped Yukimi from writing. Daichi abruptly stood up from his seat and rushed to Yukimi when the teacher asked her if she was alright, the sight of the never-ending nosebleed terribly worried him. Exams got canceled for that subject because of what happened since she fainted from excessive blood loss and Daichi had to carry her to the infirmary.

Now, Natsumi took the time in drawing a bath for her daughter, advising her to slowly get inside the bathtub when she finally came to her senses. After helping the younger girl wash the grime on her skin, Natsumi guided Yukimi in putting on her pajamas before making her lie on her bed, with the girl immediately closing her eyes for some sleep. The older woman sat on the girl’s bed for a few moments, feeling her throat and eye burn with an incoming sob. Natsumi shook herself from feeling bad and stood up, but not before giving the girl’s head a gentle kiss. Whipping up some soup in the kitchen made Natsumi think that they should stock up on some emergency food that will be suitable for when Yukimi catches another cold since their pantry only consisted of ingredients fit for heavy recipes.

With the soup and some sliced fruits on the tray, Natsumi entered Yukimi’s room and gently shook her awake. “Yuki-chan, you have to eat something before taking your medicine,” she told her, holding a spoonful of soup in front of Yukimi. “Here you go.”

Yukimi gulped down the soup while breathing heavily. “What time is it, Mom?” She couldn’t even open her eyes without feeling like her head is going to crack open.

“It’s nearing eleven o’clock in the evening,” Natsumi answered her daughter exasperatedly, the worried tone escaping in a slight sob. “You were lying on the genkan lifelessly, I was ready to bring you to the hospital! What time did you come home?”

“Six,” Yukimi answered quietly, munching on an apple slice. After a few moments, she perked up before groaning in pain at her sore muscles, giving Natsumi a chance in telling her to just take everything easy. “Do you think I’ll be better by tomorrow?”

Her mother blinked at her. “Are you going somewhere tomorrow?”

The medium-haired girl slowly ate the soup on top of her bed table, slightly cursing that she couldn’t savor anything because of her messed-up sense of taste. Even the fruits, all she could pick up was this bland, with a bitter undertone, lump of food without a hint of that sweetness on her tongue. Sighing a little, Yukimi looked at her worried mother with a smile. “I was supposed to overlook the team’s practice match and I was hoping that I could feel better tomorrow to not miss it.” She then ran a hand through her hair, feeling the extreme heat coming from her forehead. “But judging from my condition,” she trailed off.

Natsumi wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulders, giving the younger girl a tender side-hug. “You have to take some rest, Yuki-chan. I’m sure the coaches and the team understand, just notify them in advance about it, especially that your fever hit the forty-degree mark.” She then gently raked her hand through the girl’s hair, making Yukimi relax slightly at the soothing sensation. “Finish that soup, take your medicine, and get some good rest.” She punctuated it with a kiss on the girl’s head.

“Okay, I will, Mom,” Yukimi answered, following her mother’s instructions and proceeding to sleep comfortably on her bed, the blankets and covers wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth akin to an embrace.

* * *

Kuroo looked around the gymnasium for the nth time this morning, only to be disappointed at the lack of presence of the one person who keeps his day going. It was the day of the practice match with the Kunihira Senior High team and the Nekoma volleyball club was still missing their manager. All of them, even the coaches, wondered what happened to her since it was really unusual for the girl to not leave them any prior notice on her absence. Even her closest friends in the team, which is the Kuroo and Kenma duo, never received any messages from her and it was slightly unnerving to think that anything could have happened to their beloved manager. At the moment, the setter of that duo was prepping their ‘secret weapon’ in time for their practice match while the rooster half of the pair was feeling agitated, waiting for any sign of Yukimi.

“It’s really quite unusual that Yukimi-san is running late for any practice,” Kai wondered out loud after the lot of them composed themselves, seeing as Lev successfully synced up with Kenma. “Do you think she had some errand?”

Yaku shrugged, starting to become worried based on his furrowed brows and occasional glances at the gym’s sliding doors. “Kuroo, did she leave any messages?”

The messy-haired boy shook his head in response.

“Everyone, Yukimi-san will be absent today,” Naoi announced from beside Nekomata, his phone clutched in his hand. It was a good thing that he had his phone inside his pocket because if not, they still would have no idea where the manager is. He looked at every member in the eye before reading from his phone. “This is from her mom. She probably got the number from Yukimi-san. It says here that Yukimi-san has a fever right now and is taking the day off for her to rest.” He now worriedly stared at the message, sighing a little at the thought that without the girl, he would be the one to shoulder all the welcoming and note-taking for the practice match. “Well, Yukimi-san is a hardworking person so she deserves to have the day off.”

Nekomata nodded. “That girl is the most hardworking person I know. Let her mother know that the team wishes for her to get well and remind her to not strain herself after a few hours of getting better. The boys will have to get through the day without her because Yukimi deserves a break from seeing their faces.” He grinned, showing how sure he is that Yukimi will come back to the club safe and healthy. “Now wipe those sad looks on your faces because we have a practice match waiting for us.”

“Osu!”

Kuroo then proceeded to shake his shoulders and stretch his arms up in the air, leading his teammates to formally welcome the Kunihira Senior High volleyball team. The practice match was faring quite well, judging from how the two teams managed to teach each other and fill in the gaps in their gears. The day ended with Nekoma winning most of the matches, though Naoi never actually made a good job in taking down the notes during the practice matches. He has seen how immaculate the reports Yukimi submitted that he was beginning to think that his notes were not supposed to be presented to the older coach at all — in short, they were lacking in so many departments on the handwritten report, especially on how the Nekoma team adjusted with Lev’s rambunctious playing.

With the day ending on a good note for everybody, Kuroo and Kenma went home after changing their clothes in the clubroom, both of them stopping by the convenience store down the road to purchase things for a sick person. They picked up some fruits and a few bottles of banana milk before walking to the station to board their train, which is heading in the same direction as Yukimi’s house, a feat that they greatly appreciate because that means that their houses appeared to be near each other. Even though this was a fact, both Kuroo and Kenma never took a good look at her house except for when they would walk her home. And now, looking at the modern façade Yukimi’s home has, with a driveway displaying a car and a stone pathway reaching the stairs leading to the front door, Kuroo felt nervous out of nowhere.

“You’re bound to meet her mom, Kuro,” Kenma noted, standing beside the said boy and waiting for him to walk to the front door. “We haven’t got all day, you know?”

“You’re right,” Kuroo replied, walking down the pathway and up to the door. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down the doorbell and waited a few moments before the door opened, revealing Yukimi’s mother. “Good afternoon, Kazahana-san, we’re Ha—Yukimi’s friends,” that sounded so odd because he was used to spitting out Hana like a reflex whenever the medium-haired girl was around, “and we wanted to visit her because we were told that she was sick for the day.”

Natsumi then brightened in recognition, opening the door wider and giving the two boys a view of the inside of the house. “You’re from the volleyball club, I assume, because you definitely looked like the boy we bumped into the supermarket the other day.” At this, Kenma rose an eyebrow, turning his head towards Kuroo, who was laughing lightly. “Well, come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

“Excuse us,” Kuroo and Kenma murmured simultaneously, now entering the genkan.

“Oh, there should be extra slippers here,” Natsumi muttered under her breath, looking at the tidy shelves housing outdoor shoes and house slippers. “Ah, it’s a good thing Yuki-chan bought something for visitors way back when we moved here.” She handed both boys a pair of slippers each. “They should fit you real fine.” The two offered her some words of gratitude, making her grin. Natsumi then gestured for them to follow her to the living room, which was connected to the dining area and kitchen, something that would fit a house meant for two people. “I’ll just prepare some snacks and iced tea. You two go upstairs and knock on the first door by the hallway, Yuki-chan is probably awake. Ah, I have a short memory span so can I ask for your names?”

“I’m Kuroo Tetsurou,” Kuroo introduced.

“Kenma Kozume,” Kenma relayed.

The older woman nodded with a smile. “Okay, Kuroo-kun, Kozume-kun, Yuki-chan is dying for human interaction right now so I won’t prolong you two here in the living room. Can you hand over the fruits? I’ll wash them and give these to you along with the snacks.”

“Thank you, Kazahana-san,” Kuroo nodded, smiling as he and Kenma went up the stairs and stopping in front of a door that screamed anything Yukimi, seeing as it has some butterfly stickers surrounding the doorknob. Absolutely cute, Kuroo thought, before looking at Kenma from the corners of his eyes. “Kenma, you knock.”

Kenma slowly turned his head to look at Kuroo, blinking in a pattern that spoke of his annoyed state. He wanted to knock on the door using Kuroo’s head but because he completely understood that this could be nerve-wracking for his childhood friend, Kenma had no choice but to carefully knock on the door. The two heard some rhythmic footsteps nearing them, with Kuroo waiting with bated breath because of his nerves.

“Mom? Why did you knock—?” Yukimi trailed off once she took a good look at the people on the other side of her door. It was a good thing that she wrapped her blanket over her body because it made her feel less exposed than being seen in just her pajamas, which wasn’t much since it consisted of a matching set that was too big for her. To be honest, she was tempted to shut the door in front of their faces because she couldn’t believe that they were standing in her house, much less in front of her own room. Curse her mom and her hospitable nature. “Tetsurou? Kenma? Why are you two here?” She subtly glanced behind her to check if her room was clean enough to receive any visitors and judging from the untidy duvet and strewn books on her night table, Yukimi pursed her lips in distaste.

“Hello, Yukimi-san,” Kenma smiled a little, even admitting to himself that the girl looked cute. “I hope we’re not intruding.”

Yukimi shifted her attention from squinting at her room to looking at Kenma. “No, not at all,” she answered, giving Kuroo a glance. “Come in. Sorry for the mess.”

“It’s alright, Yukimi-san,” Kenma told her, sitting comfortably on the wooden floor and placing the eco-bags on top of the low coffee table. “It’s not even messy. My room is messier than yours.” He then took out the bottles of banana milk from the bags, gently pushing a bottle in front of her. “We bought you these. The fruits are with your mother though.”

Yukimi laughed, sitting in front of Kenma on the floor. She picked up the bottle and happily inserted the straw on the lid. “Thank you!” Humming at the satisfaction brought by the drink, Yukimi finished it in one go. “It’s a good thing that my sense of taste is coming back.”

“It’s a good thing, too, that you’re feeling better, Yukimi-san,” Kenma told her, taking out his own drink from the bag.

“Hopefully I’ll be okay to join the training camp tomorrow,” she told them. Her eyes then unconsciously finding Kuroo’s, which was staring at her with the softest eyes, making her heart pound in her chest. Oh, God, Kuroo, the guy she is falling for is sitting in her room. She never imagined that this day would come and it was making her combust in a flurry of internal turmoil, different sides of her expressing their joy and nervousness at the same time. This took an overthinking turn that Yukimi had no complete control over, mind reeling on assuming the things happening in this silent Kuroo’s mind. She was becoming someone entirely different from her usual demeanor and it made Yukimi look away from Kuroo with flushed cheeks.

“How are you?” Kuroo awkwardly asked, breaking the comfortable silence ensuing in the room. Kenma even looked up from his phone, staring at Kuroo with disappointed eyes for making the atmosphere tense.

“I’m doing fine,” Yukimi answered, reciprocating the dark-haired boy’s gentle smile. “How was the practice match?”

Kuroo then erupted in a vibrant explanation of the practice match earlier, the awkward atmosphere vanishing in an instant. The middle blocker relayed some things that could be useful for her weekly report or even her annotations on the team, with Kenma adding some information here and there, like how Lev sucked at hitting his tosses or how Lev sucked at receiving the ball because he really just admired how beautiful it traveled from bumping it the first time. It was all filled the setter’s complaints about how the first-year practically stressed him out the entire week, not to mention that he will also be participating in the training camp as one of the starting roster. The two third-years could only offer some words of consolation as the two-toned boy dropped his head on the table. Now with the sandwiches, sliced fruits, and iced tea, the trio continued talking while munching on their food.

“You can look around the room, it’s completely fine,” Yukimi assured them once she caught the two boys curiously looking at the photo albums on one of the bookshelves. She savored the sandwich in her hand as Kuroo and Kenma took out some photo albums, specifically the ones filled with her baby pictures and middle school photos. Leaning forward to also look at what they were watching, Yukimi smiled a little, remembering every single story behind each photo.

“You look the same, Hana!” Kuroo noted, pointing at a candid middle school photo of Yukimi that was taken during a school field trip in one of the traditional attractions in Japan. “Even here.” Another photo depicting a second-year junior high Yukimi in a sports festival, the school photographer capturing the girl along with some of their classmates. The next page, however, made Kuroo stop short. It was also in the sports festival but Yukimi was smiling so brightly with Daichi by her side, the boy’s arm wrapped around her shoulders while his free hand gripped a golden medal. The next set of pictures were all of the pair and it unintentionally made Kuroo’s chest constrict. There was one of them wearing yukatas and there was also one photo showing the two side-by-side, with Daichi in his volleyball uniform and Yukimi in a beautiful dress (having come from a singing recital). “You’re close with Sawamura, huh?”

Yukimi averted her gaze from watching her baby pictures with Kenma, directly looking at Kuroo, who was still staring at her middle school photos. “Yeah, he was pretty much my best friend for as long as I can remember,” she answered. “There’s nothing going on between us despite the many assumptions. It was purely platonic and I thank the stars that I have someone to confide in. He is a significant person in my life, that’s for sure.”

In all honesty, Kuroo felt like there was nothing to worry about when it comes to Yukimi and it started way back during those times with Romio. There was this crazy sense of assurance radiating from the girl that made Kuroo relax even though they weren’t in a relationship. It wasn’t like he was jumping to conclusions but it felt like she was telling him wordlessly that there is no one except for him. “I know,” he told her. “And I thank him for taking care of you through those years.”

The smile he received was utterly heavenly, making his heart melt in that special warmth he only felt around the girl.

“You can take a photo if you like,” Yukimi told him, her smile reaching her eyes as she gestured to the photo album.

“Well, then,” Kuroo murmured, flipping through the album, pulling out a small picture. “This will do.” He presented it in the middle of the table, showcasing a formal picture of Yukimi in her middle school uniform, a graduation photo if Kuroo would guess since the light make-up was noticeable to his eyes. “I want something that can be placed in my wallet so can I have this?”

Yukimi nodded with the smile still on her face. The next thing she knew, the dark-haired boy reached out a hand to pinch her cheek softly before showing Kenma the picture he now wedged on the empty picture holder of his wallet. The setter congratulated him dryly for having a milestone (angry that he interrupted him in the middle of his game), making Yukimi laugh, and her chest marveling at how fond she is of her friends.

There the lonely planet fully accepted that she wasn’t lonely at all, with her being a part of someone’s heartwarming orbit of celestial bodies.


	24. THE START OF THE TRAINING CAMP.

“Yukimi-chan!”

“Bokuto-san!”

Bokuto welcomed the medium-haired girl with a warm embrace the moment the Nekoma volleyball club stepped foot inside the Fukurodani Academy gymnasium. It greatly shocked Yukimi at first but seeing as she became friends with the animated wing spiker, and even exchanged some random messages here and there, the girl let herself be wrapped in Bokuto’s arms, not forgetting to return the hug, in the same manner, the boy displayed. Once she got separated from Bokuto, with the help of the ever-reliable Akaashi, Yukimi laughed while patting the owl captain’s shoulder. Hearing some squeals from behind some of the awestruck members of Fukurodani, Nekoma’s manager glanced at the direction of the excited noises with curious eyes, registering the excited smiles of Kaori and Yukie, which made Yukimi grin as well.

“Kaori-san, Yukie-san!” Yukimi greeted, walking away from the gaggle of boys and to where the managers gathered at the side of the gymnasium. The two girls gave her a hug as tight as Bokuto’s, something that definitely warmed up her heart.

“You’re finally here!” Kaori exclaimed with a flushed face and a bright smile that reached her eyes. “Welcome to Fukurodani! Ah, I’ve been dying to see you since the InterHigh, Yukimi-chan.”

Yukimi nodded, mirroring the smile Kaori showered upon her. “I’m so happy to see you two again.” While Kaori moved aside to let the other two managers see her, Yukie remained by her side with both of their arms loosely hanging around each other’s waists, the droopy-eyed girl comfortably planting her chin on Yukimi’s shoulder.

A girl with pigtails then gasped when Yukimi looked at her. She was dressed in a yellow t-shirt that says Ubugawa High School on the left side of the chest and white track pants with blue linings on either side of the legs. Her expression was stuck in amazement as she felt her cheeks flush a subtle shade of rose. Just like Kaori and Yukie’s first reaction in meeting the medium-haired girl, the slate-eyed girl immediately thought that Yukimi is the most beautiful girl she had ever seen and she was left wondering that Nekoma’s manager should be placed behind a camera to showcase her in a national scale. Yukimi was shorter than her but the caramel-eyed girl held herself up with elegance and confidence, as if she knew how much of a head-turner she is. After a few minutes of sheer admiring, the girl shook herself from her reverie to announce, “I’m Miyanoshita Eri, Ubugawa’s manager! It’s nice to meet you, Kazahana-san, I’ve heard so many good things about you.”

Yukimi looked at her wide-eyed, a blush coloring her cheekbones. “You can call me Yukimi, Miyanoshita-san,” she told the girl with a smile. The medium-haired girl also admired how effortlessly adorable Eri looked, making her heart swell with the familiar feeling of wanting to take care of the girl since she appeared to be the most precious human being she ever met. In a matter of seconds, Yukimi gained another friend and she had a feeling this wouldn’t be her last this training camp.

“You can call me Eri, too!” Eri exclaimed, overjoyed at the fact that their circle of managers welcomed another amazing person.

“I’m Outaki Mako, Shinzen’s manager. It’s a pleasure meeting you, Yukimi-san!” A brown-haired girl with a side ponytail chirped from beside Eri, her smile contrasting the slate-eyed girl’s excited one. It was the same smile Yukimi always saw on Kai — gentle and oozing with kindness that it made her awestruck with her heart turning into a fluffy mush. The brown-haired girl, Mako, was wearing a white shirt, which was rolled on the sleeves, and a pair of pale green sweatpants, which were also rolled to just below her knees. Yukimi couldn’t help but think that this kind of manager uniform suited Mako and it made the brown-haired girl look so cool in her eyes.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, too, Mako-san,” Yukimi replied, bowing slightly. “Please take care of me!”

“Please take care of us as well!”

“I’m so excited for the training camp, honestly,” Eri told them with enthusiasm, making the rest of the girls giggle.

Yukie nodded from beside Yukimi, her chin still planted on the latter’s shoulder. “We’ll be sleeping in the same room,” she told the others. When the medium-haired girl heard how soft-spoken Yukie’s voice is, she reached out to gently give the girl’s head rhythmic pats, to which the maroon-haired girl relished with a contented smile. “And it’s a good thing that we were offered air-conditioned rooms by the school because if not, this training camp wouldn’t even be fun. The rooms are practically ovens during the summer in this school.”

“Plus,” Kaori trailed off, looking at each of them excitedly. “Even though the school’s closed because of the training camp, the vending machines are still running so we can have all the snacks every night. We will be talking all night long despite our curfew so we’ll just have to light up the room with a flashlight, that way it would be cozier as we share some stories.”

“Wah, I like that,” Mako nodded, agreeing at the others. “It’s going to be like a sleepover!”

Meanwhile, with the boys, they were all blinded with how easygoing the girls are interacting. All of them never made at least a few meters around various girls in their schools so it was quite a refreshing way for them to start the training camp with admiring the managers, and it was going so well so far. Despite the obliviousness they hold, the managers still maintained their laughter and excited chatters, planning on various games to play every night in the training camp. At the mention of some games from the girls, Kuroo and Bokuto couldn’t help but overhear the term ‘cards’, which was something that they confide in every training camp. They shared a knowing glance right after that seemed to look suspicious to the other members (unnerving Akaashi and Yaku at the same time). Some of the boys also continued staring at a specific member of the manager group, her black shirt and red sweatpants very hard to miss, and sometimes murmuring things that sent Taketora blazing to his intimidating mien.

While the others finished preparing for the start of the training camp, Nekomata suggested that his team will be the one to welcome Karasuno to the suburbs of Tokyo because the countryside bumpkins might be arriving a few minutes from now. As some members of the Nekoma team walked outside to station themselves in front of the main building, Kuroo stayed a little to wait for Yukimi to finish helping out the managers, both of his hands inside the pockets of his track pants. When she noticed that Kuroo was purposely lingering in the same area as her, the medium-haired girl turned to her newfound friends, excusing herself since she was needed by her team.

Kaori looked at something behind the girl before smiling knowingly. “It’s alright, Yukimi-chan. We’ll just do fine here,” she assured the dark-haired girl, smiling softly when the latter bowed a little and jogged to where Kuroo was waiting for her. Kaori couldn’t help but offer a thumbs-up and a wink to the messy-haired captain, who only furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before glancing at Yukimi and understanding what the tawny-haired girl was referring to.

Kuroo shook his head with a light laugh, catching Yukimi’s attention. The boy opened his golden eyes, setting them on the dark-haired girl walking beside him. Placing a hand on the small of her back, Kuroo uttered with his usual half-lidded eyes never leaving Yukimi, “Seems like you made another set of eccentric friends, Hana. Not that I think they’re weird, it’s just that I mean it in a good way,” Kuroo trailed off, remembering Kaori’s way of rooting for him when it comes to asking out Yukimi, “Still, I’m happy for you.”

Yukimi felt herself lips tugging up in a pretty smile. “Thank you, Tetsurou,” she replied. “I’m really excited because this training camp might be a chance for me to get out of my comfort zone and make some friends. I’m really glad that the people attending this are so amazing in their own ways.”

The dark-haired boy looked at her with soft eyes. “You don’t have to push yourself too hard, you know? And remember that if any of the interactions are too much for you, don’t hesitate to pull yourself out and take time to just breathe. You can always seek us out, okay? We’ll always be available for you.”

“Of course, Tetsurou,” Yukimi answered, stepping a little to lessen her distance with Kuroo, her side now lightly pressed against his.

The two of them were so close to each other that Yukimi worried that the messy-haired boy beside her could hear the loud heartbeat thumping through her ears. Her heart was racing so fast that it was starting to become the same sensation she felt whenever she downed a cup of bitter coffee, something that she found addicting yet finding palpitations pleasing to experience — that’s what she feels at the moment. She knows that she would always combust when Kuroo showed her little affection in his words and actions and yet she craves them because it will always make her day. So now, she was praying that Kuroo wouldn’t take any notice on how flushed her face is because if he does, Yukimi will literally turn around and let the boys do their job in welcoming the Karasuno volleyball club. But that would mean not welcoming Kiyoko, Daichi, and the new manager the bespectacled girl recruited.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting Kiyoko-san, Daichi, and the others again,” Yukimi told him, bouncing a little in her steps as she thought of talking to Kiyoko in person rather than messages or even giving Daichi a chop on the side. There’s nothing to deny, Yukimi misses them by a lot. “Oh, and they’re bringing their new manager today. Kiyoko-san said that she looks new to this whole volleyball club environment so she’s pretty shy and jumpy.” She then pointedly looked at Kuroo, who smiled ever so innocently. “Don’t do things that will spook her, Tetsurou.”

Kuroo cackled in that hyena laugh he apparently owned before leaning forward to tease Yukimi with a smug smile. “What do you think I’ll do? I’m a kind person after all.”

Yukimi scrunched her face in disgust as she stared blankly at Kuroo. “You are so vain,” she slowly said.

The dark-haired boy continued laughing. Once he sobered up, he still couldn’t stop his chuckles from escaping because that look on Yukimi will always be priceless. “No, really,” he reasoned out. “There’s nothing good coming from provoking a new manager. Besides, I already have you so why would I find someone else?” Kuroo stopped short, processing the words he just said to Yukimi. Judging from the short silence following after that remark, the girl was also rendered speechless because she only looked up at Kuroo with a flushed face, igniting the messy-haired boy’s to warm as well. This isn’t the exact time to verbalize his feelings since they were in one of Fukurodani’s many hallways. Kuroo never wanted anything more than to bash his head on the wall.

“So you’re saying that you’ll be provoking me?”

The poor boy whipped his head so fast, only to be greeted by Yukimi’s unamused stare. “No!” he exclaimed. “It’s not like that.” Kuroo groaned before leaning in to kiss the girl’s right temple, murmuring in her ear, “Trust me, it’s not like that.” He then straightened his posture before calmly continuing their conversation, glancing at Yukimi curiously. “Speaking of new managers, what about that girl you recruited? Why did she suddenly reject joining the club? You know, as the captain — that greatly wound me.”

Yukimi looked away from Kuroo, now staring at the floor with a sad expression. She remembered how the first-year approached her on Thursday, the younger girl’s shoulders drooped as she bowed deeply in front of Yukimi and apologizing that she couldn’t join the club. “Komorebi-san was absolutely perfect for the position, seeing as there wasn’t any bad thing about her, and I personally want her to take over once we graduate,” Yukimi told Kuroo. “But there was something about her parents that didn’t approve of her joining a non-academic club.” The medium-haired girl felt anger bubbling in her stomach since the joy on Hikari’s face when the position was offered showed that she really wanted to join the club. Heck, there were unshed tears in her eyes when she returned the application form to Yukimi. “From what she told me, Komorebi-san’s parents are strict and we couldn’t do anything about that.”

Kuroo nodded, understanding that there was nothing they can do about it. “Well, we could always find another person willing enough to join the club,” he reassured her.

“Give Komorebi-san time,” Yukimi murmured. “I know she will come around.”

“If you say so,” the dark-haired boy smiled, squeezing her waist affectionately.

The two then reached the main building and walked to where Taketora and Kai stood, facing the gates of Fukurodani. There weren’t any signs of their countryside rivals for a few moments so both the captain and the vice-captain engaged themselves in exchanging thoughts regarding the training camp while Taketora jittered at finally seeing Karasuno’s manager again (oh, and his friends, too). Just then, a green minibus entered the gate, making the quartet smile in varying intensities. Once the occupants of the vehicle stepped on the asphalt parking lot, their matching shorts and track pants indicating the school they were from, Yukimi waved her hand up the air.

“Yuki-chan!” Daichi shouted, jogging to the girl and wrapping her in a warm hug, swaying her back-and-forth while laughing. “Your hair got longer,” he told her as he held her at arms’ length. “And God, I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, Daichi!” Yukimi smiled widely at him, the boy oblivious at how the medium-haired girl’s hand swung back.

A few feet away from the pair, Sugawara leaned a little to Asahi, stage-whispering the words, “I still couldn’t get over the fact that Daichi has a beautiful girl as a friend.”

Asahi nodded in agreement, staring open-mouthed when Yukimi chopped Daichi on the side. “I guess that pretty face hides something scary underneath,” he shakily replied, now scared of the girl since that chop hurt him in waves, reminiscing the times Sugawara did that to him.

“Now I like her even more!” Sugawara vibrantly announced, admiring how Yukimi made Daichi double over in pain.

“Is that—?”

“Could that be—?”

“The Tokyo Skytree?!” Tanaka and Nishinoya yelled in the middle of the parking lot, staring up at the red transmission tower kilometers from the school. The two excited second-years caught the attention of the others, with Yukimi blinking at where the younger boys pointed at before erupting in laughter upon realization.

Kai, the ever so kind vice-captain of Nekoma, smiled at the wing spiker and libero. “No, that’s just a regular transmission tower.”

Kuroo couldn’t help it — he cackled loudly while clutching his stomach.

Beside him, Yukimi also laughed again because of how Kuroo’s cackle sounded. There were basically tears springing in her eyes and her stomach was hurting from excessively shaking while laughing her heart out. When she sobered up, taking rhythmic pants, Yukimi’s gaze was tangled by the ever so beautiful Shimizu Kiyoko, who blushed a little when the shorter girl walked towards her with a pretty smile. “Kiyoko-san!” Yukimi called out, stopping in front of the blue-eyed girl, her face beholding the loveliest smile Kiyoko received. “Welcome to Tokyo.”

“Hello, Yukimi-chan,” Kiyoko greeted the girl, bowing slightly. “Thank you and it’s good to see you again.”

“I’m glad I get to see you again,” Yukimi told her. “All our wishes about meeting up in either Miyagi or Tokyo came true.”

While the two girls talked about how their day went so far, Yachi Hitoka, Karasuno’s new manager, peeked from behind Kiyoko since a melodious voice caught her attention. Curiously, the blonde first-year slowly looked up and all of a sudden, her heart immediately picked up its pace. Why was she surrounded by people who look like this? Was what she thought as she mentally cried. First, it was Kiyoko because Yachi instantly associated the third-year with the phrase alluring beauty and she felt like an unmotivated doodle next to the older girl. And now, this new person was practically so refreshing to look at because not only did Yachi mull over her insecurities, she also felt like she had been struck with an arrow from Cupid’s quiver. The girl was looking like a character from a drama she once saw or even the main protagonist in a shoujo manga that Yachi swore she saw an angel.

The girl in front of the two managers of Karasuno was the personification of first love.

And when the girl’s caramel irises slid over to her, Yachi felt like time stopped, the only sound she could hear was her heartbeat thudding.

“Ah, you’re the first-year Kiyoko talked about,” she told her, kindly bestowing the blonde a gentle smile. “I’m Kazahana Yukimi, Nekoma’s manager. It’s very nice to meet you, Yachi-san.”

 _Why does she know my name? How can a literal goddess know my name? Me, a measly low-life not even meant to be in the same radius as these seniors. Oh, ground, swallow me whole right now_.

Kiyoko turned around to face Yachi with a smile. “She’s the third-year I told you about.”

Yachi nodded slightly, stepping from behind Kiyoko and facing Yukimi with newfound confidence. She then bowed instantly, which greatly shocked and flustered the medium-haired girl, still not used to people bowing so low in front of her. “P—Please take care of me, Kazahana-san!”

“Take care of me as well, Yachi-san!”

Yukimi then led two girls to the gymnasium, the former asking why they were missing some members. The orange-haired boy and the scary setter were absent when the entire Karasuno team went out of the minibus one-by-one and it left the medium-haired girl thinking as to why they were not there for the training camp when Daichi told her a few nights back that the two expressed their excitement for the trip. That was until Kiyoko relayed to her that the freak duo failed their exams so they had to stay behind to take the supplementary exams. Yukimi felt sympathy for the pair since the dread of not passing the exams lingered inside her stomach, but she could only smile at Kiyoko, telling her that the first-years might make it in no time if they passed their supplementary exams. Their conversation was going so well until a shout reverberated through the hallway, catching the attention of Daichi and Kuroo, even Kiyoko had to stretch an arm out to protect Yachi.

At this point, Yukimi wouldn’t even be surprised that it was Taketora and truth be told, the second-year was slumped and kneeling on the ground. The medium-haired girl stepped forward, excusing herself from the two girls with an apologetic smile, and making her way to where Taketora kneeled. “Taketora, stand up, your pants will end up being dirty.”

“The girls have multiplied!” Taketora grumbled before spreading his arms and looking up at the ceiling. “Now they have a pretty one and a cute one!” When he realized that Yukimi was standing right in front of him, her expectant stare gracing every fiber of his being, he comically cried before following his senior’s instruction. “Ah, _kirei_ -senpai, you’re here!”

Tanaka then stepped in, making Nekoma’s ace stare at him in confusion. “Do you see, Tora?” the wing spiker stood in front of Kiyoko and Yachi with his arms spread wide, his face looking like a bodhisattva. “This is the sanctity of Karasuno.” While the two managers behind him decided to walk away from the situation, Tanaka took a good look at the person standing in front of Taketora like a doting mother. When Yukimi turned to look at him, he instantly felt his chest being pierced by an arrow. “Kuh — it looks like that Karasuno’s true ability is on par with yours!”

Taketora blinked, looking back-and-forth between his friend and manager, he felt a sense of pride creeping up his throat. “Take a good look, Ryuu, this is Nekoma’s sacred blessing!”

Feeling a gentle hand on her back, Yukimi looked up, meeting Kuroo’s smiling face. The boy never took his hand from the girl’s back even when he turned around to tell Karasuno’s third-years about placing their bags in the room assigned for them, advising them to enter the gymnasium once they’ve settled in. “The rest are already gathering there,” he told them with hooded eyes, a little smirk gracing the corner of his lip. After that, he looked down at Yukimi with a smile, leading her to the entrance of the gymnasium as he created small talks here and there.

The two were wrapped in their own little bubble as they disappeared through the sliding doors of the gymnasium, a silage of tangled lavender and watermelon leaving Daichi surprised at his own realization.

With a smirk and a satisfied countenance, he voiced out, “I’d better start convincing Yuki-chan to make me her best man.”


	25. FIRST TIME.

“Tetsurou, I’ll be with the team overlooking the drills,” Yukimi voiced out, turning to the tall lad with a tender smile. As she received the same smile and nod from the messy-haired captain, the caramel-eyed girl shifted her attention to Daichi, a smug smile now plastered on her face, “Good luck with the practice matches, Sawamura-san.” She drawled Daichi’s last name as she usually did when they were in middle school, when the two would always end up in opposing groups during a class group quiz or a cultural festival contest. It was meant to tease each other or get into each other’s skins before every event — something that the two established to keep them going and to have motivation in something that involves competing against each other. It was their way of boosting up their drive in winning, and when Yukimi acted it out after all those years, it sent a wave of nostalgia to Daichi’s chest.

With that, Yukimi turned around, her hair bouncing on her shoulders dismissively, and walked to where Kenma was waiting for his turn to receive. While going to her destination, the manager took out the black hair tie from her wrist before raising her arms and tying her hair up in a ponytail, gaining attention from some of the boys and managers inside the gymnasium, especially the volleyball club members of Shinzen High. A few of them kept missing their receive drills because they were gawking when she passed by while the managers, specifically Yachi, stopped from beside Kiyoko to admire the older girl.

Going to where her shoulder bag was placed by the other members, Yukimi lightheartedly laughed at the hastily scribbled note that says ‘ _DON’T TOUCH. PROPERTY OF NEKOMA’S AMAZING MANAGER!!!’_ and immediately knowing that Nekoma’s libero had something to do with writing the note since she requested him in taking care of her belongings. With her thin notebook in her hands, Yukimi then set her eyes on her club members executing perfect receives. Staying right where she is, Yukimi took a second glance at the setter, who was doing the drills with a troubled face.

“Kenma, you alright?” Yukimi asked worriedly once she saw the disappointed face of the setter. It was not that noticeable but the slight frown in Kenma’s expression says it all.

Kenma glanced at her from the corners of his eyes. “Shoyo isn’t here yet,” was his reply with droopy shoulders. “Tora just told me that he has some supplementary exams right now and that he could be absent during the training camp.” He gripped the volleyball in his hand with a cross expression before throwing it in the air and hitting it to where Yaku was positioned in their little section of the huge gymnasium.

The medium-haired girl smiled in understanding. “Hinata will pass his exams, that’s for sure, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity in a training camp housing these teams,” she answered Kenma while roaming her eyes around the court, casually taking note of how the other teams executed their serves and receives before eyeing each and everyone from their own team. Coming to a summarized observation in her mind, Yukimi quickly wrote what she noticed in her trusty notebook, making arrows and connecting the specific movements to each member. She looked up and smiled fondly at Kenma, who was staring at her with wide eyes, “Hinata might be a little late but he’ll be here along with that first-year setter.”

The second-year couldn’t help but smile as well, the heavy feeling in his chest clearing up in an instant — something that he always felt around the girl he now treats as his closest female friend.

Meanwhile, with Kuroo and Daichi, the former followed Yukimi with his gaze as she walked to their team, adoring her in every way while she tied her hair up in a ponytail. That was until he heard Daichi clear his throat from beside him only did he paid attention to the captain he chose to give a short ‘orientation’ on what usually happens in this chaotic yet fun training camp.

“You have my blessing,” Daichi cheekily told him, making the messy-haired boy fluster in the slightest way possible — red ears, disoriented speech, and all. Kuroo’s reaction made Daichi chuckle under his breath, the latter so used to seeing boys he knew show almost the same mien whenever his childhood friend was involved. The only thing different about the taller boy was that it was telling him that whatever Kuroo was feeling for his best friend, it transcends every single infatuation a person has for Yukimi and that was enough for Daichi. “Don’t act so surprised. I basically act like her father most of the time growing up so I have every right in saying those words to you.”

Kuroo slightly gaped at him, blinking ever so often. “Uh—Uhm, thanks, I think?” he told the boy beside him, phrasing his statement like a question. Scratching the back of his head, he slowly looked at the subject of their conversation, who was telling Lev additional tips on being a sound player on the court, with the younger boy taking in what his upperclassman told him. Unknowingly smiling, he softly said under his breath, “That means so much to me.”

Daichi grinned. “No problem,” he told the messy-haired captain. “Just don’t forget to invite me to the wedding. Oh, and remind Yuki-chan to make me her best man instead of making Shimizu her maid of honor.”

This made Kuroo sputter because he never imagined scenarios about weddings and married life with the girl in the picture — it was making him so fussy inside because even imagining dating Yukimi would send Kuroo running with a malfunctioned heart and mind. Hell, he doesn’t even know if he and Yukimi would ever get together at a single point in their lives. “W—What are you talking about?” When Daichi only rose an eyebrow at him, Kuroo sighed heavily before deciding on giving the other captain the introductions with both hands on his waist. “Once we’re done with the warm-ups, we’ll regroup and the teams will play each other in rotation.”

Feeling the atmosphere changing with an imaginary click, Daichi only nodded with a serious visage. “Right.”

The taller boy turned his head to the wing spiker. “The team who loses their set will do a penalty lap of diving drills around the court,” he casually informed Daichi before pointing at a huge bulletin board at one side of the gymnasium. “Take a look at that match line-up over there. You should be up against Shinzen first.” Kuroo then rose a hand to give an encouraging pat on Daichi’s shoulder, a smirk plastered on his face, satisfied that he did a pretty good job in filling his fellow captain in. “Well then, I’ll be heading to where my team is. Good luck, Sawamura-kun.” The messy-haired boy waved his hand with his back turned on the Karasuno players, now heading steadily to where his teammates are still ongoing with their warm-up drills.

Picking up a stray volleyball, Kuroo proceeded to bounce it on the hardwood floor before focusing on the other side of the net. With a practiced stance, the captain threw the ball up in the air in the most controlled way he could ever do, slamming down on it right when it reached just above his head. From the familiar smack, Yaku perked up from the other side of the court, quickly running to where Kuroo’s serve was aimed and perfectly receiving the ball on his forearms with a bright grin. The taller boy laughed out loud at how correct his assumptions are, which is knowing who would be quick enough to notice his serve.

“It’s about time you show up here!” Yaku shouted with a cheeky grin.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Kuroo told them, placing both of his hands on his waist and cocking his posture to the right. “I appointed myself in acquainting our crow rivals in this new environment.”

“Well, you might as well start your warm-ups, Kuroo,” Kai kindly reminded him, the dark-skinned boy choosing to direct a smile as to lighten up the atmosphere. “Yukimi-san has been tallying up everyone’s stats except for yours.”

At this, Kuroo rose both of his eyebrows before turning his head to the side to look at their manager, who was diligently writing on her notebook. He found himself staring at her for too long because when Yukimi lifted her head to continue watching over the boys, she was taken aback to see Kuroo looking straight at her with a small smile. The moment their eyes met, the dark-haired captain blinked out of his love-struck daze and faced the court with the tips of his ears turning red. It was Daichi’s fault for putting bizarre ideas in his brain and because of those remarks, Kuroo would never face Yukimi with the same composure ever again. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down and proceeded to flip the switch in being Nekoma’s provoking captain as he flashed his signature half-smile to his teammates, “Let’s enjoy the training camp while we’re at it.”

* * *

The first day of the training camp was flowing normally in Yukimi’s part and as Karasuno took their break after another round of diving drills, Nekoma was assigned to have a practice match with Fukurodani. She kept fiddling with her pen as she found herself becoming bewitched at the match in front of her, forgetting that she should be taking random notes here and there. As Nekomata reminded her earlier in the training camp, a kid her age should focus on the lightness of things and start appreciating them without technically wracking her brain with potential reports. Just like that, Yukimi closed her notebook, with Nekomata’s hum of proud approval, and watched the practice match without any thoughts of statistics and observations clouding her mind.

In fact, she was starting to enjoy it.

Thinking that she needed hydrate herself, Yukimi stood up from her seat to get a bottle of water from the vending machines outside since she didn’t take a sip of water the duration of the training camp. As she finally bought her bottled water, Taketora did an attack through Fukurodani’s blockers but was unfortunately received by Konoha. A few moments later, Bokuto shouted Akaashi’s name, with the latter tossing to the ace at the side of the court. The two-toned captain jogged to the front of the net with his owlish eyes following the ball as he jumped higher than Nekoma’s blockers, slamming the ball down in between Kenma and Lev’s arms. At the exact moment the ball bounced on the floor and changed its trajectory, Yukimi was walking back to the bench and lightly bumping into Tsukishima along the way, the latter coming back from the toilets.

“I’m sorry,” Yukimi apologized to the tall boy, who slightly widened his eyes at the sight of Nekoma’s manager.

Regaining his composure, Tsukishima nodded. “It’s okay,” he replied before glancing at the wall beside him. “I’m sorry for bumping into you, Kazahana-san.”

Yukimi was taken aback because, from the way the first-year middle blocker acted during the two times she has seen him, he never seemed like the type to apologize. But she brushed off those thoughts before offering a smile to the tall blond. “No worries, Tsukishima-san.”

Because of the setter’s evasion in blocking Bokuto’s spike, Kenma was being scolded by Nekomata, verbally adding a curse word in his advice of never running away from the ball despite knowing it might break the boy’s arms. The setter then looked at the side to avoid the older man’s counsel but his blank eyes became wide in an instant when he saw that the ball was making its way to the unlikely pair talking at the end of the court. There were shouts of ‘ _kirei_ -senpai’ from the Nekoma players, which caught the attention of Kuroo, who turned just in time to see Yukimi push Tsukishima out of the ball’s way, which hit the wall an inch above the girl’s head with a resounding smack. The blond slipped on the floor from the force Yukimi exerted, letting out a huff when he landed on the hardwood.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi shouted from the side.

“ _Kirei-_ senpai!”

“Yukimi-chan?!”

“Hana!”

Not minding the worried yells from her club members, Yukimi crouched in front of the younger boy, scanning his figure for any sign of discomfort. “I’m really sorry for pushing you too hard, Tsukishima-san, I just acted out when I saw that the ball was heading for your head,” she hastily reasoned out, waving her hands in a flustered manner. “You’re not hurt anywhere, right? Oh God, Daichi will be coming for my head when he finds out that I pushed one of his valuable players.” Yukimi then nervously turned her head to Daichi, who was alerted about the situation, with the said boy craning his head to look at the pair with a concerned face. The medium-haired girl then groaned, not liking the way Daichi flipped his paternal instincts. “I should’ve just reached for that ball but with my height, I can’t do that so easily. I’m not like Hinata-san.”

Tsukishima blinked at the fussy manager from behind his glasses, amused at the fact that she was worrying for someone not from her team. “I’m alright, Kazahana-san,” he answered. “I’d do the same if that ball went for you.” He then carefully stood up, making the girl do so as well. The blond silently regarded Yukimi, bowing slightly right after. “Thank you, Kazahana-san, I’ll be going to my team now.”

When the blond first-year found his place within his teammates, there was a cacophony of questions asking him if he was fine, which were answered dismissively (unlike the way he treated Yukimi) and yet there were idiotic remarks that he chose not to hear for the rest of the afternoon.

“Tsukishima, you lucky bastard! First, you got Nekoma’s beautiful manager to bump into you and then you have her save you from that ball!” Nishinoya wailed along with Tanaka, with the libero’s hopes of exchanging words with the third-year manager diminishing as every whine came out of his mouth.

“I bet Kazahana-san won’t bother pushing you out of the way if it were you, Noya-san,” Tsukishima dryly replied with a smug smirk, quite proud of himself for thinking the retort.

“Say that to my face, you beanpole!”

“Oh, I don’t like crouching, Noya-san.”

Yukimi, on the other hand, calmly walked back to her seat, with Nekomata asking her if she was alright after that terrifying encounter with the volleyball. Answering the question with a reassuring smile, the medium-haired girl resumed watching the practice match, furrowing her brows at the scoreboard, which showed Fukurodani at their set point. And just like she assumed, the practice match ended with Nekoma losing the set, thus, making them execute the diving drills that the others have been doing all day. Sure, she was somewhat bummed that their team lost but she couldn’t deny how worthy of being qualified for the nationals Fukurodani is. With this in mind, Yukimi patiently waited for the boys to finish their penalty drills with a pile of towels in her arms.

Distributing the pieces of cloths was doing fine until Kuroo stood in front of her, making her heart flutter in her chest. The dark-haired boy was breathing heavily with his eyes closed and both of his hands on his waist, urging Yukimi to stand on her tip-toes to take the job of wiping his face with the towel. Lightly dabbing the soft towel on Kuroo’s face while humming a tune, Yukimi paused for a moment when she felt the tall boy’s hand firmly placed on her waist, making her stare right into the golden eyes that managed to beguile her. Time became suspended as she felt herself getting lost in Kuroo’s soft gaze, the task of wiping the boy’s sweat forgotten in an instant as her caramel irises took in the golden specks glinting in the boy’s golden ones.

Shaking herself into reality, the medium-haired girl trailed the towel from Kuroo’s cheek to his neck. “That was your first loss of the day,” she casually informed him, intentionally never meeting Kuroo’s eyes by focusing on his neck — something that made her face warm. “Nonetheless, you did your best for this day.”

“Yeah, thank you,” Kuroo murmured. “Well, the one thing that irked me is that horned-owl bastard.” He looked away from Yukimi to give the said ace a side-eye, remembering how the two-toned captain of Fukurodani kept pointing or shouting at Yukimi every time he successfully scored a point in their recent set against Nekoma. Aside from that, even when Yukimi was just passing by the court where Fukurodani played with a different team, Bokuto would excitedly ask if Yukimi saw his straight. It set Kuroo in a bad mood during the practice match with that team. “I’m not complaining about it, in fact, I’m all for people appreciating you,” he trailed off before making a scary face, one that he unconsciously uses when he blocks, “but to rub it in my face is something I don’t tolerate!”

Yukimi laughed, never seeing how Kuroo lovingly trailed his eyes over her giggling face. “Bokuto-san is really making my day so far,” she happily voiced out. “There’s never a dull moment with him. Plus, he just looks so happy that I couldn’t help but cheer for him.”

“Yeah?” Kuroo whispered, ducking his head and stopping right next to Yukimi’s left ear. “Are you cheering for me, too?”

“Of course, Tetsu,” Yukimi replied softly, a blush decorating her cheeks.

Kuroo slowly lifted the corner of his lips in a smile at the nickname, his heart turning into a mess of butterfly wings. “I think I need a recharge, Hana,” he teasingly told her.

The medium-haired girl rose both of her eyebrows in surprise. She then gestured for him to come closer to her. “You’re too tall,” she told him. “Duck a little more.” The boy curiously followed her instruction, making her hum in satisfaction. Cupping her hand right next to Kuroo’s ear and thinking that it’s safe since she was covering the bottom half of her face, Yukimi kissed Kuroo’s cheek, which officially stunned the boy in place. Imitating what he always did to her, the girl lingered for a few moments before pulling away, an effervescent smile painted on her lips. Chuckling to her herself, the medium-haired girl patted Kuroo’s chest twice with a grin before turning away to tend to the other members.

With a pounding heartbeat echoing inside his chest, Kuroo’s eyes flickered with fondness and affection while watching Yukimi’s retreating back as he muttered, “Now that’s unfair.”

* * *

The first day ended on a happy note, with Karasuno finally having their ‘test-flunker duo’, giving them a free pass on the penalty drills. And as Nekoma finally ended the last game for the day, Yukimi tidied up the towels and water bottles hastily, giving a quick excuse to the coaches that she should be in the cafeteria helping the other managers cook up their dinner. Preparing dinner was filled with a cheerful air that made Yukimi comfortable in just a few minutes, with the girls lightheartedly relaying their personal reflections on the first day of the annual training camp. The caramel-eyed girl also answered some of their questions about how her day went and it was something that made her heart warm, adoring every single manager inside the vicinity. There was also a time where Kuroo showed up inside the kitchen, surprising the others while scaring a specific manager (Yachi). Nekoma’s captain greeted the managers before zeroing in on Yukimi with a, _‘Just checking up on Ha—Yukimi.’_

“Are you and Kuroo-san dating, Yukimi-chan?” Eri asked her when Kuroo went outside the kitchen to take a bath, the girl gushing over about how perfect the two looked together. “Ah, seeing Kuroo-san and Yukimi-chan’s relationship budding is making me so giddy!”

Yukimi nervously laughed. “We’re just friends.”

Kaori slowly turned her head to look at Yukimi, who was chopping some vegetables. “Are you sure about that, Yukimi-chan?”

“Well, yeah, he’s the first friend I have in high-school,” she replied, smiling reminiscently at that time where Kuroo was the first person to greet her on her birthday.

“Because friends don’t just act like that, trust me, Yukimi-chan. Kuroo-san will be asking you out in no time!”

That was only a few hours ago and now Yukimi found herself in a rather heart-stopping situation. The medium-haired girl just finished her bath and she decided to buy some milk from the vending machines. Looking out the window, she stared at the moon for a few minutes while sipping on her banana milk, wishing that she could go out and enjoy the night breeze and the navy blue sky over her. Even though there was a curfew looming over the students, which was not that strongly implemented by the older people in this training camp, Yukimi still wanted to go outside but seeing as she was becoming sleepy at every minute, she had no choice but to return to the managers’ room to get a good night’s sleep.

“Hana, you’re still up?”

Yukimi jolted from her sleepy state, finding Kuroo walking towards her from the other end of the hallway. Threading her fingers through her hair, the shorter girl gave a half-smile as locks of her fringe covered her left eye. “I just finished washing up and I needed this to sleep well,” she answered, lifting up the plastic bag containing two small bottles of banana milk. “What about you, Tetsu?”

Kuroo scratched the back of his head. “I came back from the toilets,” he laughed, now looking down at the plastic bag Yukimi showed him. “Wow, that’s a lot of banana milk. Do you think you could finish all of them?”

“Of course!” she exclaimed with furrowed brows, looking endearingly adorable in Kuroo’s eyes. “Are you underestimating me?” She then looked down on the two bottles of the said variant of milk. "But if my stomach couldn’t handle it anymore, I could give it to Yachi-san or to Yukie-san, I just know that they would like them! You know, Yachi-san is actually a really sweet person from behind that shy exterior, well, she was already the sweetest being shy and all but once you get to know her, she’s really cute—“

The dark-haired boy chuckled. “Hana.”

“—and I just wanted to keep her—yes?” Yukimi stopped her rambling, looking up at Kuroo and feeling the boy’s lips brushing on the corner of her lips. It made her heart clench at how fragile Kuroo kissed her, her stomach reeling at how he intentionally missed her lips by mere millimeters. It was the very first time someone showed this much affection to her and it was making her heart race in tremendous speed with the butterflies fully occupying her ribcage, yet all of this was caused by the person standing in front of her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever looked on. Yukimi really wanted to know what has been going on in Kuroo’s mind because she really didn’t want to linger with that tiny flicker of hope.

“I—I,” Kuroo took in a deep and shaky breath. “I adore you so much, Hana, please tell me that I’m not the only one like this.”

With misty eyes, Yukimi stood on the tips of her toes, giving a feathery kiss on the corner of Kuroo’s lips. “You’re not,” she told him, looking so pulchritudinous under the moonlight passing through the window and rendering the boy breathless.

It was at that night that Yukimi realized how much she really loves Kuroo for the very first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ,,, this is the aftermath of me listening to a bunch of red velvet b-sides ,,, n e ways i hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading !!


	26. POUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.

Undeniable tension.

The second day of the training camp ended that way when the Karasuno team started to have tangles in their camaraderie. It all started when Hinata unconsciously jumped when it was Asahi’s ball during their practice game with Nekoma, followed by the ginger’s abrupt request of letting him open his eyes every time he spikes. The murder of crows instantly shifted their atmosphere from being easygoing to wariness, all of them aware that they ought to improve the way they were playing if they ever wanted to have a place among the rest of the teams inside the gymnasium. Nekomata noted this and cheekily asked Yukimi to note this down as a way for Nekoma to also improve themselves. In the end, the medium-haired girl came up with a bunch of pages regarding that subject, all of them filled with the new suggestions on Nekoma’s drills.

And now, just about two hours after lunch, Yukimi stood in front of Kiyoko and Yachi, helping the other two place their belongings inside the baggage compartment of their minibus.

“See you again, Kiyoko-san, Yacchan,” the medium-haired girl told the two after they finished loading all the bags and cooler, looking at the two girls with a tilted head and small smile. “I’m really looking forward to meeting you again in the summer training camp.”

Kiyoko nodded, reciprocating the smile Yukimi gave her. “I’m excited, too, Yukimi-chan,” she replied before discreetly looking at the younger blonde beside her, who was fiddling with her thumbs while looking at anywhere except the Nekoma manager in front of them. The bespectacled dark-haired girl gave away a light laugh as she nudged Yachi with her elbow to encourage her, surprising the first-year, whose shoulders jumped a little.

With a nervous smile, Yachi looked at between Kiyoko and Yukimi, both looking so perfect that she nearly combusted in her position. Expectedly, her heart pounded in her chest as she straightened herself and bowed out of nowhere at the caramel-eyed girl, who once again became red in the face at the sight of Yachi bowing so low. “See you again, Kazahana-san!” she exclaimed with a flushed face, which showed pursed lips and wide eyes that looked so adorable in the third-years’ eyes.

“Yacchan, I thought I told you to call me by my name,” she reminded the younger girl with a grin.

“I—I mean, Y—Yukimi-san!” Yachi hastily added, so as not to brush away the older girl’s request.

“There you go!” Yukimi happily exclaimed, her demeanor brightening up a little bit. Exchanging waves with the two girls, the caramel-eyed girl made her way to Daichi, who was standing beside Kuroo with furrowed brows. This made her curious since the atmosphere between the two boys was serious that she couldn’t help but be worried since based on the frowns on their faces, the same tension from the Karasuno team can be felt from a mile away in the middle of the boys. Once she stopped in front of her childhood friend, Yukimi smiled sadly while looking up at his dark brown irises. “Hey,” she softly called out, inserting her hands inside the pockets of her red sweatpants. “Be safe going home.”

Daichi laughed, reaching out a hand to ruffle Yukimi’s hair. “Don’t make it sound like I’m not coming back in the summer training camp, Yuki-chan,” he cheekily responded. “You know, Natsumi-oba-san might throw a fit if you didn’t tell her I came to Tokyo.” He then gave a faux expression of sadness. “I miss her cooking, especially the egg fried rice and homemade ramen.”

Yukimi rolled her eyes playfully, punching his arm lightly. “I’ll let her know that you miss her cooking. Plus, there will be a possibility that a wrapped package full of her cooking will be delivered to you by yours truly in the next training camp. And don’t get me started on her pestering about letting you visit our home,” she joked, her smile reaching her eyes. “See you in the summer vacation, Sawamura-san.” Once again, the medium-haired girl teased him by using his last name just like yesterday.

“Right back at you, Yuki-chan.”

The next thing Yukimi knew, the green minibus carrying the Karasuno volleyball club sped and blended in Tokyo’s suburbs, leaving behind the rest of the participants in the training camp waving at the main building. While the others turned their back on the gates of Fukurodani to go back to the gymnasium for another round of practices, Yukimi stayed a couple of moments looking at the empty parking lot. Smiling a little, the dark-haired girl looked back at Kuroo, who called her name while waiting with a smile of his own. It might have been brought by the summer heat but there was no doubt that Yukimi felt her cheeks heat up because of Kuroo, her heart pounding as she remembered the events that unfold the previous night.

Taking her hand gently in his, the messy-haired captain rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand, leading her to Fukurodani’s gymnasium with his heartbeat mingling with hers.

* * *

To think that the first part of the training camp ended in a flash made Yukimi wish that time should slow down with its descent as she patiently waited in one of the benches lining the hallway of the principal’s office. The dark-haired girl couldn’t keep still in her seat, her hands clenching on the material of her skirt as a way for her to calm down her nerves. There was an endless array of thoughts flitting through her brain, all of them signifying along the lines of getting detention or earning a suspension, even though she didn’t do anything wrong the past couple of weeks. The girl never took her gaze off the potted plant situated beside the door to her doom until it opened, along with the smiling face of their principal.

“Kazahana-san, you may enter,” the old man donning a suit told her.

Yukimi bowed while passing by the door, muttering a quick ‘pardon my intrusion’ before following the principal’s gesture of taking a seat in one of the chairs facing the wide desk. To get her mind off of the negative thoughts spurring her anxiety, Yukimi took in the new environment which wasn’t the usual scenery for a student like her. The principal’s office can be described in one word — modern, as what is shown in the neutral color palette and the minimalistic approach of furniture inside the four-walled space. Well, there was a splash of color here and there in the form of a potted plant in a few spots in the room but even the therapeutic green didn’t soothe her growing nerves.

“Don’t be so nervous, Kazahana-san,” the principal reminded her, which didn’t alleviate some of the tension from her shoulder, even though the way the old man grinned was similar to the head coach of the volleyball club. “I didn’t call you here because of some trouble-making, in fact, I called you because of this.” The old man slid a black folder with a familiar light blue and yellow logo imprinted in the middle before smiling at the teenager. “This came and it was addressed to you.”

With furrowed brows, the third-year manager bowed a little while gingerly taking the folder and opening it to reveal the first page of the documents. Her eyes slowly widened at what was written on the paper, mixed feelings coursing through her as she silently read the letter and application forms.

“The University of Tokyo personally reached out to our school to give you one of their scholarships, which was aligned in your interested field, Medical Sciences,” the principal told her with a proud air surrounding him. “Aside from that, they also requested that you undergo your tertiary education there, as you can see from the letter and the college application attached in the folder.” He motioned at the folder Yukimi was still reading from with a baffled expression in her face. “It seems like they recognized you from the research convention they held last April.”

“I—this,” Yukimi stuttered, looking between the forms and the principal, her mind blanking out at the exhilaration and excitement brought upon by the sudden proposal of her dream school. With this, the expenses of the tuition will be lessened and she will be of help to her mother, even if it’s just this tiny thing. The scholarship also offered free admission to one of the dormitories around the campus, which is quite convenient if Yukimi wanted a place that is not far from her faculty building. “This is so surreal,” she lightly laughed, blinking at the folder with teary eyes. It is because from what she could remember, this university was her mother’s alma mater and from all her mother’s stories, it managed to spark something when she was a child.

“Well,” the principal started, trying to make the girl feel better. “I think you deserve it, Kazahana-san, seeing as this semester, you managed to get full marks in all of the subjects, which is something that happens once every blue moon. You have been extraordinary and a prestigious university such as UTokyo will be thankful to have you in their institution.”

The medium-haired girl blinked away her tears, bowing so deeply that her hair covered how she controlled from crying out of joy. “Thank you so much!” she exclaimed, straightening herself with a big smile that spoke of her happiness, the black folder clutched against her chest. “I’m really honored.”

“You’re welcome, Kazahana-san,” the principal told her, waving his hand in front of him, happy that one of his students received such praise from the top university in Japan. The old man then remembered how the girl became the manager for their esteemed volleyball club so he carefully stood up from behind his desk to usher the girl out. “Seems like you are needed elsewhere. Good luck on the training camp with the Fukurodani group and in the upcoming matches.”

Yukimi bowed before treading her way to the door with the biggest smile on her face. Once she was out in the hallways, the remaining students roaming around for their club activities gawked at her as she passed by. Sure, having the beautiful senior walk down the hallways was a way for the others to admire her aesthetic but on this particular day, there was no denying that Yukimi glowed even more with that angelic smile. It almost seemed like there was a shining deity gracing the school’s presence, which was something that made every student’s eyes follow her until she reached the shoe lockers. With a song hummed under her breath, Yukimi was glad that Kuroo offered to take her bag when the intercom speakers repeated her name like a mantra because if not, she would have to climb flights of stairs to reach their classroom.

No matter how much the medium-haired tried to school her features in a cool exterior, her smile still managed to peek through while changing into her black shirt and red sweatpants. It was a good thing that she requested an extra pair of sweatpants from the two coaches, who happily gave her another version of the red and white piece of clothing since Kuroo still had her schoolbag. She also stashed an extra shirt in the girls’ lockers assigned for the volleyball club, making it convenient for her if she packed lightly during the weekend practices.

Entering the gymnasium, Yukimi felt herself smiling at the little noises brought by the boys’ practice. All of a sudden, a wave of sentimental thoughts came over her and it got Yukimi thinking that it was all prompted by UTokyo’s offers. In a few months, she will have to say goodbye to this place — one that gave her so many things to look back to, even though some were chosen to be forgotten for how traumatizing they were, Yukimi still had those beacons of memories to hold on to. One of them just happened to look back at her while wiping his face with his shirt, his lopsided grin making Yukimi stare at him in adoration — lips parted, eyes wide, and cheeks flushing an appealing rouge pink.

Yes, her flustered state was definitely not because of how from wiping his face with the top of his shirt, the sight of a toned (and tanned) stomach caught her eye.

It was their break from practicing and Kuroo still noticed that Yukimi wasn’t around the gym. He was worried the moment the speakers called her name right after the bell rang that he even offered to wait for her while she had her talk with the principal. Of course, the only thing he brought was her schoolbag and that was enough for him. But when he turned around to check the entrance once again, Yukimi was there with a black folder clutched against her chest. The messy-haired boy smiled, excusing himself from his teammates to make his way to the girl.

“Hey,” he softly greeted her, letting go of the top of his shirt before placing a hand on her waist and rubbing his thumb in circles casually. “What did the principal talk to you about?” When Yukimi bounced with excitement, Kuroo couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable she looks.

The medium-haired girl restrained herself from squealing. “He told me about this.”

Kuroo looked down at the black folder Yukimi presented to him. The familiar logo of one of the most prestigious schools in the world greeting his vision. His eyes widened in amazement, looking back-and-forth between Yukimi and the folder. There are no universities better suited for the extraordinary girl other than The University of Tokyo so surely the thought that was lingering in his mind wasn’t wrong.

“I got a scholarship and they recommended me there!”

“Oh, my God,” Kuroo breathed, ducking down to kiss her forehead first before planting tiny kisses on her cheeks, his smile getting bigger as she let out giggles. Rubbing his nose tenderly against hers, he dropped his voice in a whisper, “I’m so proud of you, Hana. I really am. I’m happy that I’m the first one you told about this.” Pulling away from her, Kuroo flickered his gaze from her caramel eyes to her watermelon pink lips. _Did she put any lip gloss_? Slowly closing their distance again, the messy-haired boy never took his half-lidded gaze from her lips, the sole purpose of doing the one thing he wanted to do for so long pounding in his head. But when he heard the slight gasp from behind him (which sounded like Lev since it was followed by his team’s aggravated groans, mostly Yaku), Kuroo quickly kissed the side of her lips. “Damn, I hate them so much I want to double their drills,” he bitterly murmured, about his teammates.

Yukimi, still shaken at the possibility of Kuroo finally kissing her, laughed after gaining her composure. “Please don’t,” she reminded him, standing on her tip-toes to brush a kiss on his jaw. “Even though I accept you, including being the provocation expert, be a nice captain and go teach them a lesson without leering at them.”

“Okay, I will,” Kuroo agreed, shaking his head with a light laugh, following the girl back to his teammates. This shouldn’t hurt if he tries, right? “Hana,” he called out while looking at the gym’s hardwood floor. With his usual half-lidded eyes, Kuroo regarded Yukimi with a steady visage, “Let me take you out tomorrow.”

* * *

 _What was he thinking_?

It was only the next day that Kuroo felt the aftermath of his rash decision of inviting Yukimi to a date. Well, for him, it is a date because the two of them will be hanging out the whole day, which will be platonic if he isn’t in love with her. There was nothing wrong with them going out for the rest of the day and it is completely normal for others but why did he spend a good hour picking out his outfit? Or even try styling his hair? Well, the latter was hard on its own so he left his usual messy hair the way it is, except for ruffling it even more. In the end, with Kenma relieved that he picked out an outfit, Kuroo went out of his house wearing an unbuttoned plaid long-sleeves over his black shirt, which was tucked inside his jeans. They agreed to meet up in one of the train stations leading to Toshima since Yukimi went with her mother for an errand and he couldn’t pick her up from her house.

“Introduce me to her some other time, Tetsu!”

He could still remember how his father became excited at the idea that his son found someone during his high-school years. Even his grandparents added their remarks about meeting the girl Kuroo was ‘dating’, if that were true. But knowing Yukimi, his family will happily accept her in their home, even treating her as a lost family member, so Kuroo had no choice but to promise them they that they will meet her sometime in the future as he went outside to make his way to the train station.

“Tetsu!”

“You’re here—,” Kuroo stopped when Yukimi finally made her way to him.

_Shit._

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Yukimi apologized, even though Kuroo didn’t wait that long in the train station.

“I—It’s okay,” he stuttered, never taking his eyes off of Yukimi.

Seeing her in casual clothes from that time in the supermarket was nothing compared to what Yukimi looked right now.

Now that he noticed it, some of the people in the train station kept looking in their direction, murmuring things about the two of them. He couldn’t blame them when Yukimi appeared in a navy blue long-sleeved turtleneck tucked in a plaid body-con dress, which fit her perfectly in a lot of different ways. While Yukimi was searching for her phone and wallet in her tote bag, Kuroo trailed his eyes slowly from her face down to her chest and waist, and finally, to her legs, noticing how the dress was the shortest he had ever seen on Yukimi. Her face was also glowing with make-up, which was something that Kuroo appreciated, and her hair was styled in loose waves, some strands falling on her eyes. She then looked up at him with those breathtaking caramel eyes framed with a light touch of rosewood eye shadow, making him snap from his ogling as his heartbeat raced in his chest.

“I know this is different from what you guys usually see but I wanted to dress up for today, I don’t know why,” Yukimi quietly, looking down on their white sneakers as she placed her hair behind her ear, though it came undone right after.

Sensing that probably his staring came as something that made Yukimi squirm, Kuroo reached out and carefully tucked back the stray lock of hair behind her ear, then dips his head to place a feathery kiss on her jaw, making her breath hitch. Stopping his lips next to her ear, he lowered his voice to whisper, “You look beautiful as always,” winking right after as he pulled away from her. Taking her hand in his and pulling her to the train they were supposed to be boarding, Kuroo looked down at Yukimi. “Hey, we’re matching.”

This caught Yukimi’s attention, looking down on her outfit and at Kuroo’s before an animated smile livened up her face. “What do you know? I guess we’re on the same wavelength while getting ready,” she mentioned while staring up at Kuroo and intertwining their fingers together. “So, where are you taking me?” She questioned right when they went inside the train.

Kuroo grinned before lifting their joined hands to his lips, kissing the back of her hand while taking in her excited eyes. “You’ll love it.”

* * *

Rows upon rows of bookshelves greeted the pair as they entered Ikebukuro’s famed Junkudo Bookstore. It wasn’t kidding on the tourism websites about how this is Japan’s biggest bookstore, seeing as Yukimi had her mouth open when the two of them stood in front of a glass-paned building towering over the shopping district with its ten floors. Kuroo had to place a finger under her chin to stop her from gawking at the building since it was her first time here. She remembered how her father told her that there was this magical place filled to the brim with everything literary and she was starting to believe that this place holds a good amount of enchantment for her to purchase all the books inside. Now, as the air conditioners blasted their profiles upon entering the automatic sliding doors, Kuroo laughed while watching Yukimi making a beeline to the elevators.

It felt like Yukimi was starting to act her age for the meantime and it was doing wonders to Kuroo.

“Hana, wait up,” he called out, bowing at the staff dotting here and there on the ground floor before speeding his pace to catch up with Yukimi. While waiting for the elevator door to close, Kuroo glanced at Yukimi before asking her, “Which floor do you want to visit first?”

The medium-haired girl gave herself a few seconds to think about where to visit first, taking out her phone from her bag to scroll through her checklist of books she needed to buy. “I’m planning on buying some textbooks and reviewers along the way,” she then looked up at Kuroo, who was also taking a peek on her long checklist and choosing which books he wanted to give her, “then, we can go anywhere because this place is like a maze.”

The two of them then found themselves on the academic floor of the bookstore and while Yukimi was picking up the books that she will be studying for the college examinations, Kuroo was following close behind, occasionally glancing at Yukimi’s back as he also skimmed a couple of reviewers. They were walking along the aisle with reviewers accredited for making students pass in prestigious universities and it got Kuroo spiraling in his thoughts regarding his future. All his three years of high school, he always blabbered to Kenma, Yaku, and Kai about how much he really wanted to get accepted by the same college Yukimi will be applying to, but now that the girl told him that she is sure on pursuing her spot in The University of Tokyo, Kuroo might have no chance of going to university with her. There was no chance that that university would accept him with his current way of studying.

But looking at the most beautiful girl at the moment made him take a college examination reviewer from the shelf, deciding that he should give this a shot.

“This should be enough,” Yukimi noted while looking down on the books in her small cart. She then glanced at Kuroo, who was opening the reviewer in its science section, her lips tugging in a soft smile. “I see something caught your eye.”

Kuroo looked up from mentally answering the chemistry questions with a smile before flipping the page to a diagram. “I wanted to prepare for the college examinations,” he told Yukimi, making her pad her way beside him. Noticing this, Kuroo took one hand from the book and wrapped it around her, pulling her close as he once again held the book with two hands. “You know how time flies — the next thing you notice, we’re having children.” Automatically, he blanked out. “I–I mean when we have families of our own.” Even if he had to say it, it instantly pinched his heart.

Yukimi sadly smiled, leaning her back on Kuroo’s chest, her heart synchronizing with Kuroo’s. Without any words, she expressed how much she dislikes the idea of Kuroo’s last statement by turning around and facing the messy-haired boy’s chest. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Yukimi then buried her face on his chest, the lavender scent making her heart pound with extreme longing that made her chest ache. The thought of Kuroo finding someone when they enter college was enough to make her eyes tear up but knowing the dark-haired boy, with his handsome smirks and magnificent nature, anyone would want to have a chance to be with him.

And just like that, Yukimi’s overthinking skyrocketed.

Should she just confess her feelings now? Or wait a bit more, only to find herself regretting it when they graduate? There might be a long time left in their last year in high-school but seeing as Yukimi started her friendship with Kuroo at the beginning of the academic year, the timespan they spent together was too short for her to confess her love for him. She doesn’t want to rush something that she was sure would last — something transcends any other fleeting infatuations she had with other people. If she could prolong their last months in high-school together, she would’ve done so the moment she realized that she loves Kuroo. Or better, she shouldn’t have rejected the proposal of one her upperclassmen when she was a first-year about joining the volleyball club as a manager. Instead of clinging on a person that reminded her of her hometown, she should’ve braved herself in taking the time to get to know other people.

Feeling Kuroo’s arms embracing her back with the same tenderness, Yukimi nearly cried when the boy kissed the crown of her head.

“Hana, are you okay?” Kuroo worriedly asked her, his lips now beside her ear. “I’m so sorry for taking you out, should we go home? We’ll just hang out in your house if it means you’ll feel comfortable.” Feeling Yukimi shake her head, he looked down at her just as she lifted her head with a pout. Utterly breathtaking and adorable that he couldn’t help but duck down to quickly kiss her nose, making her scrunch up with a smile. “I know, now pick any book you want — I’ll pay.” As Yukimi opened her mouth to retaliate, he continued, “Consider this as a gift for being the most brilliant person I know. Because if it’s you, I’ll buy anything you want.”

“Now you made it sound like I’m exploiting you.”

“You’re not,” he grinned, “because I’m letting you.”

* * *

With paper bags filled with books that will last Yukimi a month of studying and entertainment, the two of them enjoyed the afternoon inside a café. They finished roaming around the entire shopping district and not only did they carry paper bags of books but they ended up with bags from different clothing brands and sports stores. It was a good thing that Kuroo’s father gave him enough money to last through the day since he got to pay for three of Yukimi’s fictional books and some clothing that he thought looked nice on her — which is a lot. They even went inside a pet store since they discovered that both of them share the same fondness when it comes to dogs, followed by Yukimi’s jokes that it was ironic since their school’s mascot appeared to be a cat.

As they enjoyed their coffee and banana milk, Kuroo took random pictures of Yukimi on his phone, showing them to the girl right after. This ended with Yukimi telling him that she shouldn’t be the only one with candid shots so the girl took out her phone to take photos of Kuroo, which came out better than Yukimi thought. With this, the two of them decided that they set each other as their wallpapers, making Kuroo perk up with an idea.

“Hana, wait, I’ll change seats,” he told her, sitting on the chair beside her. “Let’s take a photo together.”

Yukimi could only look at Kuroo as he pressed the shutter button, the latter smiling at the camera while the former looking at him with an adoring gleam in her eyes. She then looked forward and smiled widely at the camera, with Kuroo now looking down at her with a smile of his own. The next series of shots were filled with them smiling and acting goofily in front of Kuroo’s phone, their laughs intermingling in their little booth inside the cafe. It was safe to say that Kuroo’s phone was filled with the things they did the entire day and he couldn’t wait to print the photos and give some copies to Yukimi.

The whole day flew by and in a flash Kuroo was standing in front of Yukimi’s house, ending their date by walking her home. However, this time, Yukimi was the one who kissed him on the cheek instead of his usual goodbye kisses to her, her watermelon perfume still present after a whole day out under the sun.

“Thank you for everything today,” Yukimi told him, their distance with each other mere inches. “I had fun with you, Tetsu.”

“Me, too,” he replied, gazing at her the same way as he always did. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

The medium-haired girl nodded before waving at him as she turned to enter her house. Making sure that she went inside safe, Kuroo wanted to tell her something that was weighing in his head throughout the whole day. It started when he picked up that college examination reviewer back at the bookstore and since they had a few months left in their last year, he wanted to make sure that Yukimi doesn’t have thoughts of rushing headfirst in a relationship or even running away from him after graduation.

“Hana,” he called out, making the girl turn around curiously. With a determined expression, he opened his mouth to pour out his thoughts with red ears, “I will always wait for you no matter how many years it may take. If it’s you,” Kuroo smiled, “I’ll wait for that moment where we know we’re in love. So don’t rush, Hana, because I’m always here for you.”

Then, the night sky was dyed with butterflies and racing heartbeats — a beautiful medley that resonated with how much the two love each other.


	27. MOONLIGHT MELODY.

Shades of blue arise and with a snap of awareness, summer vacation started its magic.

This is also a sign that the summer training camp will start without any hitches. Being in Tokyo, the Nekoma volleyball club arrived at Shinzen High a few minutes earlier than Karasuno even though they started their short trip in the morning, unlike their countryside rivals, who embarked in the middle of the night. Right when their bus stopped in the parking lot of the school, Lev immediately dashed to the staircase leading to the main building of Shinzen, leaving behind the task of unloading their belongings from the bus to his upperclassmen. Yukimi couldn’t blame the first-year for being excited on this long training camp so she left him be to roam around the new environment as she walked towards Kuroo with her bag slung on her shoulder once Karasuno came out of their bus.

When Yukimi caught Kuroo’s eye, the messy-haired boy immediately turned to her, making Daichi look at her as well. “Let me carry that, Hana,” he offered, stretching a hand in front of Yukimi.

The caramel-eyed girl blinked before looking down on her light shoulder bag. Come to think of it, the bag that she packed all of her clothing in was with Fukunaga and Inuoka, who were assigned to settle all of the duffel bags in their sleeping area. Bringing her gaze back to Kuroo after contemplating if she should give the bag to him, she answered with a smile, “It’s alright, Tetsu, this bag is pretty light,” while patting down on her shoulder bag filled with her miscellaneous belongings like her notebook, pens, phone, and books.

Kuroo lightly laughed under his breath. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Ah!”

A shout echoed through the parking lot, making Yukimi jump from beside Kuroo, with a laugh from Daichi following after he saw how Hinata’s shout shocked his childhood friend. The messy-haired boy only wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulder in reflex, eyes warily narrowed at the behavior of Karasuno’s shrimp since it reminded him of his teammates doting and star-struck mien when it comes to their manager.

“It’s the p—pretty girl who picked Kenma up!” The ginger-haired middle-blocker exclaimed with his face erupting in a full-on blush, his finger shakily pointed at the medium-haired girl looking back at him. After knowing that he was this close to the ‘Tokyo Tower’ (which ended up being a normal transmission tower), Hinata thought that his excitement for the training camp wouldn’t intensify even more — but that was until he recognized the girl who looked like she jumped out of a high-end magazine. “A—Ah, she’s looking at me!” He then turned to Kenma, who was struggling not to let out his laugh. “How do you survive with a manager looking so pretty like that, Kenma?”

Kenma nodded, breathing heavily to contain his laugh but the small smile on his face still showed his amusement. “Yeah, Yukimi-san has always been pretty but I got used to it,” the two-toned boy answered with a tiny nod before flatly side-eyeing his other teammates, especially Kuroo, who never left the caramel-eyed girl’s side. “Though I don’t know about the others.”

Hinata then let out a sound of amazement before looking back at Yukimi, who was now talking to Kuroo and Daichi. “She’s shining.”

The second-year setter nodded again, regarding the group of third-years with steady golden irises.

True enough, when Kuroo talked to him about a girl, which surprised him since the messy-haired boy never paid attention to any member of the female population (very much like him), at first, he doubted Kuroo’s preference. Judging from the list of characteristics his childhood friend gushed to him, Kenma already concluded that this Yukimi girl looked like one of those well-kept and stuck-up girls in the dramas his mother loved. However, the moment he entered Nekoma as a first-year, the girl Kuroo told him about wasn’t anything like those mean girls with a make-up-adorned face or the cliché curled hair — in fact, she was shining. She looked like one of those healers in his games, specifically the one with heavenly visuals and a pastel color palette.

“I thought you might’ve noticed her last time,” Kenma voiced out, talking about the first part of their training camp.

Hinata’s brown eyes went back to him, with the ginger-haired boy glancing at the sky for a moment to recall the events from the training camp in Fukurodani. “Hmm,” he hummed. “I guess it’s because I was unaware of my surroundings since I came in late with Kageyama. Or because the last training camp was too short for me to notice people’s faces.” He then chuckled nervously with his hand scratching the back of his head. “Usually, I would be too absorbed in something if I’m pumped up about it.”

“I understand,” Kenma told Hinata with a small smile.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t find her pretty!”

“I understand, Shoyo.”

“Are there no transmission towers in Miyagi?” Kuroo asked his companions, pointing loosely at the two underclassmen minding their conversation while turning his head to glance at Daichi. “Because I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that conversation before.”

Daichi furrowed his brows at Kuroo, his lips curling at the messy-haired boy’s teasing. “The transmission towers in Tokyo all look like the Tokyo Tower to us country-folk!” he exclaimed, leaning at Kuroo to prove his point before planting his eyes on Yukimi, almost like he was asking her to support him on his sentiment. “Ask Yuki-chan, I’m sure she felt that way when she transferred here two years ago!”

“That’s a rash thing to say,” Sugawara voiced out from beside Daichi.

Yukimi smiled wistfully, her eyes trained forward while walking steadily with her hand intertwined with Kuroo. “Daichi isn’t wrong, though,” she told them with a laugh. “I was culture-shocked when we moved to Tokyo that I had to study the map going to school just so I won’t get lost. Plus, mistaking every transmission tower as the Tokyo Tower might be the first thing that made me excited about starting a new life there. And by the way,” she glanced at Daichi at the corners of her eyes, “we’re in Saitama right now.”

“I knew that,” Daichi grumbled, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Of course you do.”

“Oi, Kuroo, you’re rubbing off my friend.”

* * *

The first few games were going smoothly and based on the tally of wins and losses on Yukimi’s notebook, all of Nekoma’s hard work in improving themselves paid off, seeing as they don’t have enough penalties for the rest of the morning. At the moment, Yukimi silently wrote something on her notebook after distributing the towels and water bottles to her club members, unaware that a pair of half-lidded golden eyes never strayed away from her when Nekoma was rotated for their break. The medium-haired girl continued working on annotating some observations she gathered from some of the games, especially those from the other schools so that she can match something from her team as a way to rebut the others’ strong points. But the more she wrote with her head down, the more she felt herself becoming irritated with her hair obscuring her vision.

Placing her notebook on her lap and straightening her posture, Yukimi lightly placed her hair-tie between her lips while she gathered her hair in a ponytail. On the other side of the court, the boy of golden eyes blinked with red cheeks as he adored the girl as she finished tying her hair in a ponytail, with some of her bangs framing her face. Kuroo needed that for an energy boost during their break from jumping around the court and receiving balls. His eyes trailed from her face, to her neck, sometimes flickering on her peeking collarbones, and down to her slender figure. Without realizing it, his heart pounded in his chest as Yukimi lifted her head, meeting his eyes in the most alluring way possible. Yukimi then lifted her watermelon pink lips in a smile, taking his breath away.

“Just kiss her already.”

Kuroo swiveled his head down to a sighing Yaku, with the libero side-eyeing him in a scrutinizing manner. _Now, what does he want_?

“I can feel the tension from here,” Yaku smirked, quite proud that he caught Kuroo eyeing Yukimi like a love-struck puppy. “You’ve taken her out in a date, you’ve made her feel like the most special girl there is, and above all, she trusts you. What more are you waiting for? You two act like a couple and it’s annoying us, single people, every time you look at each other with heart eyes. I swear to God, one more lovey-dovey cute moment in front of us and I’ll make sure to tell the coaches to double your drills.”

“He’s not wrong, though,” Kai beamed, appearing on the other side of Kuroo with a towel draped over his neck.

The messy-haired boy blinked at his two friends and fixing his eyes on the girl writing on her notebook like the diligent student she is known for. “I’m not just going to waltz there and kiss her out of the blue,” he grumbled, placing one hand on his hip. “I don’t want to waste our first kiss like that.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that you still didn’t have your first kiss yet,” Yaku noted, placing a hand under chin in fake contemplation.

“Wow, coming from someone who had zero experience in dating during high-school, you sound so bold saying that when you didn’t even lose your lip virginity like me,” Kuroo fired right back, with Kai inching closer to the pair in case a fight might come out of their conversation.

“And how can you be so sure that Yukimi-chan never kissed before, huh? Judging from how close she is with Karasuno’s Sawamura-san, I wouldn’t even be surprised if they shared their first kiss during their childhood. I mean, childhood friends usually end up together in dramas, am I right or am I right?”

That made Kuroo stop short. Oh, how he wanted to squish Yaku’s cheeky grin in his palm. But the more that he thought about it, his second concern when it comes to Yukimi was Daichi, especially from the way the two interacted during the practice match in Miyagi. Typically, in the case of childhood friends, especially with the opposite sex, it will be inevitable that the two will end up together in the future. With the parents from each side of the relationship already approving of the supposed pairing when they were young — it was a formula or an algorithm worthy of being a blockbuster romance film. It was something that Kuroo couldn’t help but worry about — first, that Kagami boy, who he didn’t even like in the first place (not that he voiced it out), and now, Daichi, who he respected as a fellow volleyball captain.

Kuroo looked down at Yaku with a flat stare. “You done? Did you get it out of your system?”

Yaku shrugged, feeling proud of himself. “For someone who takes pride in being the,” the libero rose his hands to air-quote, “provocation expert, you get offended easily.” He then straightened himself before reaching out to pat his friend on the back. “There, there. It wasn’t meant to hurt you, you rooster-haired bastard, it’s for you to strengthen yourself to finally kiss your girl.”

“Now you’re taking the role of that crab in that mermaid princess movie,” Kuroo joked, an eyebrow raised as he narrowed his eyes at the libero.

“You got to have one to start singing that song to you so you can have the guts to kiss Yukimi-chan!” Yaku exasperatedly exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. A flat look was what greeted him as he looked back at his two friends, well, Kai only shook his head while Kuroo looked like he wanted to smack Yaku in the face with a volleyball. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you want a megaphone with that, Yakkun?” Kuroo blankly asked when he noticed that some of the players inside the gymnasium looking in their direction because of the libero’s outburst, some of them even glanced at the said manager, who was focusing on Karasuno’s practice match. He then looked around the enormous gym, as if checking if there were people who didn’t hear Yaku’s remark, before jutting out his bottom lip as he slowly nodded. “Looks like the other folks from Karasuno didn’t hear you, Yakkun, why don’t you say it again so that they know about it, hmm?”

“I don’t know if you’re joking or not,” Yaku started, blinking innocently at his tall friend.

“Do I look like I’m serious to you?”

“No,” the brown-haired libero replied with a shrug. “But that’s only because your face is always a joke, to begin with.”

“What did you say?” Kuroo leered, trying hard to crane his neck in an illusion that he was taller than his original height, all for the sake of making Yaku small.

“I said,” Yaku drawled, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked up at Kuroo with a glare. “Your face is a joke. People with more than one brain cell register things once, I thought you should know it by now.” He then looked at Kuroo from head to toe mockingly. “Well, judging from your behavior, it just shows that you own one brain cell.”

“Excuse me, I—“

The brown-haired boy then held up a hand, his eyes closed for a moment before looking at Kuroo like the self-proclaimed mother that he is. It made Kuroo’s skin crawl with displeasure and annoyance. It would be more fun if the person looking at him like this, is the other mother of the team, who was minding her own business alongside the coaches. “I know what you’re going to say,” Yaku told him, as if the libero knew everything there is to Kuroo. “You’re going to rub it in my face that you got the second-highest grades in all of the third-years, am I right or am I right? Well, news flash, you may be book-smart but you lack the disposition in understanding day-to-day situations and common courtesy.”

“What does that have to do with what we’re talking about?!”

The brown-haired boy then shook his head as he placed a hand on his forehead in a distressed manner. “I swear, my brain cells are deteriorating in this conversation. This boy clearly doesn’t understand.”

“No, my brain cells are the ones deteriorating.”

“That is if you own some.”

Kai then interrupted the two of them with a wave of his hands and an easygoing smile. “Now, now.”

In Yukimi’s side of things, the medium-haired girl found herself stopping her note-taking to watch Karasuno’s practice match. Before any of the distractions pulled her out from one of her studying modes, Yukimi heard a slight hum of approval from Nekomata, who was standing beside her since the old coach offered the chair to her, knowing that they should let the manager do her thing. This caused her to look up from another set of boxed and bulleted sections of the notes, only to follow the gazes of the two coaches to where Karasuno was facing off Fukurodani in a very tight set. The score was just something that ached her. Surely Daichi and the others were doing their best in their practice game but looking the gap made her worry for her childhood friend’s team.

The more she stared at their failed attempts in synching with each other, Yukimi noticed something different in their way of playing. For starters, Karasuno’s ace, Azumane, carried a new air of confidence every time it was his turn to serve, surprising Yukimi when the ball smacked on the floor, even though it was out of bounds. If it were to be received, she could only imagine the resounding slap of the volleyball on one’s skin, making her gulp in nervousness. They even tried doing a synchronized attack, intriguing the caramel-eyed manager as she wondered what was going on inside Daichi’s head when he tried suggesting this to their coach. But what truly surprised her was when their libero, Nishinoya, jumped from the back zone to execute a jump toss.

“Amazing,” Yukimi murmured under her breath, never taking her eyes from the boy, who was happily looking up at the ball — that was until he realized that he jumped too far for him to toss the ball perfectly. The medium-haired girl still gawked at Nishinoya, not denying that Karasuno is in fact, doing well in trying to adjust with their new weapons.

“I wonder what happened to Karasuno,” Naoi voiced out, sweat dripping down his forehead as he stared at the still struggling team just a few feet from them. “Maybe they’re in some kind of rut?”

Nekomata laughed heartily. “I think it’s the exact opposite,” he said, making both Naoi and Yukimi look at him curiously. “That’s because they’re crows, they’re omnivorous. It doesn’t matter if they were deep in the mountains, or the middle of Kabukicho. They eat everything there is to eat and take advantage of those stronger than them to survive. It looks like they’re in the middle of evolving at an incredible speed.”

Yukimi silently agreed, smiling slightly at the two teams in their ongoing practice game. However, a few moments later, her smile slowly turned into a confused frown when she found herself looking at a certain blonde middle blocker. The younger boy looked like he didn’t want to be there and it was stirring something unpleasant in Yukimi’s mind. Looking at Tsukishima made her remember her days in the choir when she was in her second year, an event in her life she chose to forget since it made her question some of the decisions that she made while living out her second year in high-school. She found herself staring into space as her head spiraled in thoughts that made her throat bubble up in uneasiness and her heart pounding anxiously in her chest. She can hear what her club members kept saying about her when she was in the choir, making her migraine come back again.

_Why are you here, Kazahana-san? Can you even sing?_

_Well, a pretty member means more people to see our shows, right? We can even get Kuroo-san to watch some of our recitals!_

_Kazahana-san, do you someone you like in the choir? That’s probably why you joined!_

_She’s just a pretty face._

_I hate it when nearly perfect people try for different things, I mean, leave some for us! Ah, this is not about you, Kazahana-san!_

“Yukimi.”

_I’m starting to think that Kazahana-san is pretending to be the damsel in distress so that boys will flock around her. She even joined the choir when Kuroo-san said that he likes a girl who can sing._

_I heard that Kuroo-san likes girls with long hair so that’s why she let her hair grow out like that._

_This is only a club, Yukimi, you can always quit. Just let this pass for the year and leave._

“Yukimi?”

The dark-haired girl jumped in her seat, staring wide-eyed at the two coaches staring at her worriedly. She quickly stood up, looking at the floor as if it was something worth being put on a pedestal, with her eyes flickering out of focus. Her hands were itching to open that small bottle of relief pills in her other bag but that would mean leaving the gymnasium and being an irresponsible manager for the team. Yukimi tried leveling her gaze with Nekomata, who furrowed his eyebrows in concern since the girl looked so shaken, before letting out a practiced smile, “Is the next practice game starting, Coach Nekomata? I should probably fill the water bottles while I’m at it.”

“No, no,” Nekomata murmured, searching for any signs of distress on the girl’s face but he was confused when he found none. “If you’re feeling tired, Yukimi, you are free to take a rest. We don’t want our only manager to feel under the weather now, do we? Naoi will be filling in your post while you sit this practice game out.”

“It’s alright, coach,” she hastily told them, bowing at them before walking steadily towards the Nekoma team, who were warming up for their next game. She clutched on her notebook, pressing it further to her chest as a way to tranquilize her fast-paced heartbeat. Unnecessary thoughts of wanting to go home flittered through her mind and she wanted nothing more than to sleep it all off and be refreshed when she wakes up. Suddenly, a familiar hand gently wrapped around her arm and a whiff of lavender instantly making her heart ache.

“Are you alright?” Kuroo whispered in her ear, rubbing his hands over her arm in an attempt to calm her down. When Yukimi nodded her head with a tight smile, he immediately knew what was going on in her mind so he ducked a little bit to brush his lips on her temple. “You can talk to me about it, okay? You’ll never be a bother. Right when my practice with the others ends, I’ll make sure that we find a comfortable space on the grassy field outside. I’m so proud of you for going on the day so far.” He then kissed Yukimi on her temple once again before giving her a smile that will always make her feel safe.

It took Yukimi’s restraints not to cry in the middle of the gymnasium while Kuroo squeezed her arms to tell her that he will be playing the practice game. For a few moments, Yukimi just stared at the floor, feeling shy at the request in her mind. It bothered her when she saw how Tsukishima looked so she hoped that Kuroo won’t think of anything different when she asks this from him.

Yukimi lifted her head, looking at Kuroo’s back. “Hey, Tetsu,” the said boy hummed in response, “Can you invite Tsukishima-san to your practice later?”

* * *

That night, when everybody had their fill of the managers’ cooking, some of the boys decided that it would be time for them to have some self-practice. It was something that they usually bond over since they get to exchange some tips and even teach each other how to improve their receives and blocks. For the people occupying the third gymnasium in Shinzen, it was a way for them to prey on the first-years and rope them in their practices no matter which team they belong to. Now, Kuroo and Bokuto stood in front of the gym’s doors, with the latter stretching his arm while the former had a confident smirk as he followed his friend’s gaze to the approaching Tsukishima.

“Oh, hey you, Karasuno!” Kuroo called out, not knowing Tsukishima’s name. “You with the glasses!” This made Tsukishima stop, now annoyed at the unnecessary name-calling as he looked over at the two third-years. “Would you jump some blocks for us?”

The blonde first-year stared at them for a couple of minutes before smiling in a faux manner, making Kuroo furrow his brows at the familiarity of the situation. “Oh, actually, I’m done for the night,” Tsukishima replied, bowing right after. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Bokuto leaned forward with an arm on the side of the door. “What? There’s no point in practicing spikes without a blocker! Come on!”

Tsukishima stared at them with a confused expression. “Why does it have to be me? Why not someone from Fukurodani?”

“There’s no limit to Bokuto-san’s spiking practice so everyone runs away pretty quickly,” Akaashi inserted.

“I’m too busy whipping this guy into shape,” Kuroo mentioned, pointing at Lev’s slumped figure on the floor with his thumb. Then, he remembered that Yukimi was the one who suggested inviting Tsukishima so right before the blonde first-year passed by, he told Bokuto about it, leading the events to what was happening now. “Ah, and a special someone suggested to me that we should make you practice with us. It seems like she was concerned about you.”

The blonde middle blocker glanced at Kuroo. _She_?

“I said I’d jump some blocks!” Lev exasperatedly shouted from behind the trio.

Kuroo then turned around to yell, “Shut up! If you want to continue as a regular on Nekoma’s team, you need to be able to receive the ball!” Right after he blew out a breath, Kuroo pointed lazily at Bokuto. “He may not look like it but this guy’s one of the top five spikers in the country so it’ll be great practice.”

As Bokuto proudly puffed his chest, Akaashi tried riling up the ace and trying to alleviate some of the tension lingering from Karasuno’s middle-blocker. “So he somehow didn’t make it into the top three, huh?”

Kuroo snorted while raising a hand to pat Bokuto’s back. “Don’t mind.”

The gray-haired boy swatted Kuroo’s hand away, making the latter lean back with a laugh. “Don’t raise me just to let me get knocked down!”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Kuroo rhetorically asked. His expression of mirth then transformed into something more devious as he side-eyed Tsukishima with a smirk. “Besides, if you’re a middle blocker, you should practice your blocking bit more. The special someone I mentioned earlier is a pretty good observer and it looks like she noticed something a bit off while she’s watching your practice games.”

Just like that, the occupants in gymnasium three managed to make Tsukishima practice with them. The following hour was spent with Bokuto spiking over the blonde’s half-assed blocks — it was either the first-year jumped a little too late or doesn’t stop the ball that hard. As the middle blocker panted in front of the net, he still maintained his smart countenance when facing off Bokuto’s arm-shattering spikes, it was a great surprise that his hands didn’t break off his wrist. That was until Kuroo decided to join in blocking Bokuto’s spikes, having enough of scolding Lev at the other side of the gymnasium. The messy-haired boy continued listing the things that Tsukishima should note when doing his blocks. Everything was going well until,

“Talk like that, and the little shrimp will end up hogging all the glory. You guys play the same position, right?”

Very much like stepping on a mine, Tsukishima excused himself from the gym right when the entire Nekoma team welcomed themselves in the gymnasium, causing Akaashi and Bokuto to further push on Kuroo’s buttons on how he failed as the provocation expert.

* * *

Just as the medicine’s effects made Yukimi breathe easier, she was about to go to sleep, but when she was about ready to close her eyes, Kuroo’s words of talking the night after resonating through her mind. Thinking that she might have stood up the boy since it was nearing ten o’clock and everybody might have gone to sleep, Yukimi laced up her sneakers and carefully went out of the managers’ room. Not making a sound when walking the too-silent hallways proved to be harder than Yukimi thought because even the tiniest sounds made her jump. Right when she came out to the gymnasiums did she only breathe from all the anxiety that a ghost might jump out of the corner she just passed by. Shaking her head, Yukimi swore that she will never roam around an empty school at night.

Reaching the grassy field where the players ran their penalty drills in, Yukimi stared up at the small hill, taking in the clear moonlit night washing over Kuroo, who was sitting comfortably as he rose a small bottle of watermelon soda in the air. Smiling, the medium-haired girl trekked the small hill until she sat herself beside Kuroo with a huff. “Wow, I can’t believe you have to run up this hill for the penalty drills,” she told him with a laugh. “This isn’t refreshing at all.”

Kuroo chuckled, reaching a hand out to tuck Yukimi’s hair behind her ear. “Good thing that we don’t have that many losses,” he joked, making Yukimi roll her eyes with a smile. The messy-haired boy then stopped lingering his hand behind the girl’s ear, placing it on the ground a few inches behind Yukimi, with him leaning a little to the caramel-eyed girl. “Hey, what I said was true though! Oh, and there was no available banana milk in the nearby vending machine so this was the only thing that reminded me of you so I bought it. I already drank mine earlier.”

Softly tracing her finger on the can of watermelon soda, Yukimi decided that she should drink the beverage while it was still cold. It was the first time she tried this drink because the vending machines in Nekoma will always run out of the said beverage, leaving her to pick her go-to banana milk. Murmuring her thanks to the messy-haired boy, she took a sip of the watermelon soda before staring up at Kuroo with sparkling eyes.

“You like it?” Kuroo asked, laughing at how adorable Yukimi looked with that huge smile and glittering eyes.

“It’s good!” Yukimi told him, taking another sip of the watermelon soda. “So how did your self-practice with the others go? Did Tsukishima-san train with you?”

Kuroo grimaced, looking away from Yukimi to glare up at the stars above them. “About that,” he trailed off as he heard a hum from the girl, making him divert his eyes to Yukimi’s curious face, “Hana, have my jokes ever offend you?”

At this, Yukimi rose an eyebrow. She was silent for a few moments, thinking back on every provoking remark Kuroo threw at her, which was close to none, and those remarks were something to understand his personality more. It wasn’t taken to heart because she was used to hearing similar remarks from other people in their school and it was a sign to let Kuroo be. Shaking her head lightly, Yukimi softly stared at Kuroo. “No, it was more like something to understand the way you treat people. Me, being your manager, I try to observe your natures so that I’ll have a gist of how the team works.” She then shrugged with a smile. “To be honest, your jokes are something to test the ability of coming up with rebuttals.” Sensing that it made Kuroo smile as well, Yukimi worriedly gazed at him. “This has something to do with Tsukishima-san, isn’t it?”

The messy-haired boy nodded, relaying what happened at the third gymnasium. “I was just trying to encourage him to be a better middle blocker, but I get how he feels. That number ten shrimp—“

“Hinata-kun.”

“—Okay, Hinata-kun, can pack quite the threats, with him jumping around the court like a shrimp out of water. Tsukishima, however, is smarter than the shrimp and is taller but he still feels inferior to someone who doesn’t have the brains and height like he does. You know I’m not good with words sometimes so my mouth just said that on its own.”

“I know your intentions are good, Tetsu, but see it in Tsukishima-san’s side of things,” Yukimi started. “Being in the same position with a person who lacks anything you have and yet they take all the spotlight, leaving you in their shadows, is pretty much — how do I say this,” the medium-haired girl paused for a second to form the correct words, “pretty much a catalyst in making a person feel self-conscious. I’m not saying that you should phrase your words a little bit different to suit his sensitivity because that would mean I’m saying that it’s your fault, it’s just,” she trailed off as her hands fiddled with the can of soda, “Tsukishima-san might be going through a rough patch these days. I think there’s something more to his behavior than just thinking that he’s inferior to Hinata-kun.

“It might be that he’s wondering why people still feel so passionately about something even though they’re fleeting.” Yukimi then looked back at Kuroo, whose eyes flickered with adoration for her. “You can always apologize to him tomorrow, the training camp lasts for a week so use it to teach Tsukishima-san your way of blocking.”

Kuroo’s chest swelled with affection for the caramel-eyed girl facing him. “Have you ever felt the same as glasses boy?”

“Glasses boy has a name and it’s Tsukishima,” she reminded him, making Kuroo laugh. Then, Yukimi looked down on the soda can with a pensive stare, slowly leaning down to place her head on Kuroo’s shoulder. “Too many times to count. People can be harsh with their words sometimes. It was probably why I quit the choir back in second year. I always felt inferior to them because they can have a normal life, envious sometimes even, since I was always pushed to represent the school and be given the responsibility to maintain the school’s image when I should be enjoying high school. I wanted to laugh like them and sing my heart out like them. But people come up with bizarre reasons as to why I joined the choir.”

“What do they say about you there?” Kuroo asked against her hair, listening to every word Yukimi told him.

Yukimi hummed. “How I should leave some for them since I was the perfect student of Nekoma,” she nearly spat the words out of her mouth, hating how the others phrased the last few words to glorify her. “And how I kept doing these things just to have boys flock around me since I was only a pretty face.”

“What?” Kuroo asked, looking down at Yukimi with furrowed brows. “Who the hell told you these? Hana, don’t hesitate to drop names because I won’t hesitate to spike a volleyball to their faces.”

The medium-haired girl laughed before rolling her eyes. “They don’t matter,” she declared. “Besides, they really like you so your name keeps getting passed around. One of the choir members mentioned that you like girls who can sing, so they speculate that I joined because of that. Oh, and my hair, you saw how long my hair last year, they also connected you to it — such talent in connecting the dots they have.”

The golden-eyed boy blinked a couple of times before letting out a cheerful laugh. Oh, how Yukimi doesn’t know the truth made the butterflies release a tornado in his stomach. “Hana, I adore people who can sing because I heard you once,” he stated, looking down at Yukimi with glazed eyes. “Remember when we had the cleaning duty together last year? You were singing and the silent classroom made me hear it. I don’t know about them but the only girl who can sing that I find breathtaking is you, Hana.” At the sight of Yukimi looking at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, made his heart thump erratically in his chest. “And the hair? It’s because of you that I preferred it and when you cut it, consider me sold in liking short hair even more. You look so good with it.”

The bright moonlight showered its rays on Yukimi, highlighting her dark hair and planting themselves on the girl’s face. The more he stared at her, the more prominent the stars speckled inside her eyes, reflecting from the night sky encasing the two of them. The many times he spent his days with Yukimi, this night was the very first time he felt extreme nervousness. It could be that Yukimi looked so ethereal facing him or it was the moon telling him to do something, but one thing was for sure, Kuroo didn’t think when he slowly leaned into Yukimi. Three years of longing and three years of pining over the pulchritudinous girl also leaning in a little bit to him. Couldn’t take any more of his chest rattling with overflowing emotions, Kuroo opened his mouth to whisper.

“Can I kiss you?”

Yukimi’s eyes became wide before crinkling at the corners as she tenderly smiled at Kuroo, nodding the smallest of nods. The boy dipped his head, planting his lips on Yukimi’s ever so softly that it made his heart ache. Feeling the slightest nudge from Yukimi’s lips, Kuroo decided to tilt his head, deepening the kiss. His hand that was on the grass, made way to her jaw, cupping it gently and slowly traveling to her hair. Summer really cast its magic when Yukimi kissed Kuroo back in the same fervor, her heart pounding so loudly into the night, creating its moonlight melody that Kuroo could hear. At the same time, Kuroo trailed his other hand to Yukimi’s waist and Yukimi slowly wrapped her arms around the boy’s neck, the former’s hand rubbing circles on Yukimi’s exposed waist while the latter buried her hands in Kuroo’s hair. Their chests pressed against each other as Kuroo wrapped his arm around the girl's waist, space lacking between the two of them.

Watermelon tingled Kuroo’s taste buds, urging him to taste it more.

Pulling away from Yukimi, with only centimeters separating them, Kuroo looked at the girl’s half-lidded eyes after staring at her reddened lips. Their pants and synched heartbeats were the only things they could hear and it was music to Kuroo’s ears. Lowering his voice in a whisper, he said, “I’ve waited so long to do that,” his lips brushing against Yukimi’s at every word.

The medium-haired girl placed a warm hand on Kuroo’s cheek, caressing his cheekbones as she returned his gaze with the same aching tenderness, a soft smile lifting her red lips. “Me, too.”

Kuroo grinned handsomely, meeting Yukimi halfway as they once again kissed each other, lightly pushing her down onto her back on the grass. A collision of watermelon sodas and tangled breaths kept them going until Kuroo lifted his lips from hers, trailing kisses down her neck and stopping right next to her ear. “Please tell me this is real,” he told her. “Because I swear I won’t let you go. Hana, I’m endlessly falling for you.”

Yukimi lovingly looked up at Kuroo, pulling him down to kiss him deeply on the lips, giving Kuroo the best view of her flushed cheeks. “I’ve already given myself up to my heart that’s fallen for you deeply, Tetsurou,” she told him, placing tiny kisses over his face. I like you so much to the point I’m losing words.” Tears fell down Yukimi’s cheeks at how her chest filled up with Kuroo’s words.

“I will always wait for when you’re ready to accept me as your boyfriend.”

It was a bright night that remained unforgettable for the two, the first out of the many firsts they’ll share coloring the summer night a chorus of the love they’ve been waiting for.


	28. SANCTUARY.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note that this is an unedited chapter so expect to have grammatical errors lingering here and there ,,, n e ways, have fun reading !!
> 
> tw // panic attacks.

“You’re glowing more than usual.”

Yukimi blinked from behind the counter, stopping herself from giving Nishinoya the second serving he was excited for, only to curiously look at her childhood friend. Daichi was standing in front of her with an empty plate, his knowing grin sending chills down Yukimi’s spine. This gave her flashbacks every time she was keeping something from their friendship only for him to have correct guesses on her secrets. And it would always baffle Yukimi that Daichi was showing what her mom was best at — being a parent. How far do his parental instincts go?

Then, flashes of stargazing kisses, watermelon sodas, and effervescent grins flickered through Yukimi’s mind, making her flush a pretty shade of rouge pink, a soft smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. Thinking that she may look like someone who just got her first kiss taken by the boy she has feelings for, the medium-haired girl straightened herself, her caramel irises never meeting Daichi’s eyes. “W—What are you talking about, Daichi?” she muttered, making herself busy by taking the captain’s tray from his hand and filling them with the right amount of nutrients. Taking a glance at her childhood friend, she handed the tray full of food with a practiced bright smile. “Here you go, captain, enjoy your meal!”

Daichi laughed at how Yukimi wanted to change the subject. Taking his breakfast with him, the brown-haired boy only shook his head with a smile, already knowing what’s behind Yukimi’s glowing complexion. He took a glimpse at the table housing some of the Nekoma players, amusingly observing a certain messy-haired captain radiating the same gleam based on his loud laughter and occasional glances at the dark-haired girl now serving another player. Fixing his attention to Yukimi again, Daichi gave a slight wave, “Okay, I won’t pry anymore. Besides, I think I have an idea of why you’re getting prettier day by day.”

Yukimi rose an eyebrow. “I don’t even want to know what’s going inside your head right now. For all I know, they’re far-fetched and I am not even going to comment anymore.”

“Whatever you say, Yuki-chan,” Daichi told her before giving a warm smile that reminded Yukimi of her father, stopping the girl from tending to the other players still lining up to get second servings of breakfast. “I’m happy that you found someone who won’t hesitate to show how much he adores and cares for you. I’m sure you two will last.”

It made Yukimi’s heart pound. Only mustering a nod, the girl looked down and immersed herself in helping the other managers clean up. While loading some of the bowls and used silverware in the dishwasher, Yukimi’s mind drifted in a countless stream of thoughts all revolving the magical night she shared with Kuroo. In books, usually when two people share something so special, it would mean that they were now connected in some sort of way that one understands what makes the other tick. Dramas hold so much romance that watching it will always make Yukimi wish for a love like what is depicted behind the screen, especially the parts where the main couples share a kiss, thus, igniting a heart-pounding relationship. Yes, they kissed like what happened in dramas and they share a connection like in books but the next thing to tick off is finding out where their relationship stands.

 _I’m endlessly falling for you_.

 _I like you so much to the point I’m losing words_.

Holy shit.

She confessed. How did she forget that detail?

Yukimi mentally groaned while cursing at how she didn’t think before talking. The rest of the morning was spent helping out the managers and staying beside the coaches during the practice matches. Now, she was starting to think that watching her team play was torturous because Kuroo would use every chance he gets to look at her with heart-stopping smiles and winks — mostly after successfully blocking or spiking. Now it was their match against Karasuno and Nekoma and Yukimi couldn’t concentrate on spectating the match, based on the current page of her notebook, empty except for the final score of the match and date.

When Karasuno went outside of the gymnasium to carry out the penalty drills, Nekomata turned to Yukimi. “Did something happen, Yukimi?” he asked worriedly, his arms crossed on his chest. His eyes took a glance at the notebook on the girl’s lap before fixing yet another concerned gaze to the girl. “You seem to be out of it lately. Are you not feeling well?”

Naoi was also curious about the older coach’s question so he paused behind Yukimi to look over at the manager’s notebook, understanding the situation soon after. “Yukimi-san might be in a slump,” he told Nekomata. “I think you should take a rest. You’ve been working nonstop since the last days of classes.”

The medium-haired girl waved her hand while shaking her head. “I’m alright, Coach Nekomata, Coach Naoi,” she reassured them, never forgetting to end her statement with a smile. Standing up from her seat, the caramel-eyed girl bowed a little to the two coaches. “I’ll be distributing the water bottles and towels. I promise to work twice as much in the next practice matches to make up for the lack of observation in the match with Karasuno.”

Nekomata grinned, his worries about the girl’s health flying temporarily, knowing that she was feeling fine. “Of course, Yukimi, we’ll entrust you with that!”

Nodding slightly before turning around to hand out the water bottles to her club members, Yukimi hummed a little under her breath, doing her managerial duties like clockwork. It definitely kept her mind off things that would render palpitations to her chest but when the object of her affections stood in front of her, she immediately knew she was tongue-tied, with her eyes staring up at Kuroo’s golden ones. That moment, Yukimi was like a moth drawn to a flame because the next thing she knew she was standing on her tip-toes and brushing her lips against Kuroo’s jaw. It was the most natural thing to do after watching him execute their plays tremendously from the sidelines. With a smile, she told him, “That was a nice game you had with Karasuno.”

Kuroo, who looked like he got the biggest shock, composed himself and returned the warm smile Yukimi gave him. “Even though we won by ten points, I still get chills knowing that they have something up their sleeve,” he lightheartedly laughed. “They’re evolving at a fast pace, that’s for sure.” Unconsciously, Kuroo wrapped an arm around her waist, gently pulling her close to him. “How was your day so far?” He murmured against her hair as he was hugging her to his chest, Yukimi’s flower-scented shampoo tingling his nostrils.

“It was good,” Yukimi giggled, scrunching up her nose since Kuroo continued leaving light kisses on her face. “I slept well last night and I’m feeling extra happy today. I think I can go for a few days without my medicine.”

As Yukimi listed things that she might do in her free time during the training camp, like answer some of the summer homework or review the books they bought on their date, Kuroo kept staring at her with his heart fluttering against the walls of his chest. How can he be so lucky, was what he thought, to have the girl he was longing for reciprocating his feelings and looking at him like he is the only one existing in the world. Not caring that his team and some players might be watching inconspicuously, Kuroo slowly leaned in, his eyes staring straight through Yukimi’s caramel ones.

“Tetsu?” Yukimi asked him curiously in a whisper, the nickname tickling Kuroo’s heartstrings.

The messy-haired boy gulped down the knot forming inside his throat. “Hana, can I kiss you?”

With one hand placed on Kuroo’s chest and another on his cheek, Yukimi warmly smiled. “Of course, you can, you don’t have to ask.”

With that, their lips met. If their kiss last night was filled with longing that was stretched on for years, the kiss they were sharing at the moment spoke of the softest feelings they have for each other. It was only a light kiss since the two of them were in a public place but that didn’t stop Kuroo as he shifted his head to the side, giving Yukimi another heart-stopping kiss. Slowly pulling away from the medium-haired girl, the golden-eyed boy placed his forehead against hers, his voice dropping in a low register so that only she could hear it.

“I’m so in love with you it hurts.”

This made Yukimi’s heart pound loudly, her eyes tearing up at the intensity of affections the messy-haired boy showed. How can she be so lucky that there was someone in her life who appreciated her existence for the short amount of time they spent with each other? She couldn’t grasp the thought that for the years she partially enjoyed in Nekoma, there was this boy who chose to like her despite the many things people assumed of her, that someone would like a person who doesn’t have any concrete friends and who only focused on her studies. With misty eyes, Yukimi met Kuroo halfway to give him a brush of her lips, murmuring, “I may not know what love feels like but I’m sure that what I’m feeling whenever you’re around,” she paused to stare give him a warm smile, “I’m pretty sure it’s love.”

Kuroo gently smiled before giving Yukimi a quick kiss on the nose. “Damn, Hana, you’re making so happy right now.”

“And you’re the reason why I’m happy every day.”

From various parts of the gymnasium, everyone couldn’t believe their eyes. Kenma was smiling openly, his eyes brightening at the sight of his two friends and his fist forming a celebratory fist. Taketora dropped his water bottle and screamed disbelievingly, which captured the attention of Nekoma’s first-years, who curiously followed his gaze, only to have their faces flush at the scene. Yaku, who was standing not too far from the pair, turned to Kai and shook the vice-captain’s shoulders rapidly, screaming that their captain and manager finally got together. The dark-skinned boy in turn proudly smiled at the obvious start of the pair’s relationship, happy that they knew about it while it was early since the libero casually told him one time that Kuroo might hide it when Yukimi becomes his girlfriend. Even Nekomata and Naoi slightly rejoiced that two members of their valuable club got past the ‘secret gesture’ stage, wherein either half of the pair would give light touches in secret during practices.

“Did you see that, Akaashi?!” Bokuto shouted from their part of the court, pointing at Kuroo and Yukimi, who were still talking to themselves. “ _Kirei_ mi-chan and Kuroo just kissed! Man, that rooster sure is lucky.” The gray-haired Fukurodani captain visibly drooped as he stared at the couple with sad eyes, wishing that a partner like Yukimi will grace his life in the future.

“Bokuto-san, I think it’s rude if you keep looking at them like that,” Akaashi reminded him but also joining the owlish captain in glancing at the couple.

“Yuki-chan is now a lady!” Daichi proudly announced when his team entered the gymnasium the moment Kuroo and Yukimi shared their intimate moment. “I can’t believe that she’s so grown-up now. Man, I can’t help but tear up a little bit.”

“You sound like her dad, Daichi-san,” Tskushima voiced out from beside the crying captain. He diverted his gaze to where the Nekoma team had their short break, shifting his attention to the medium-haired girl who he guessed was the one who suggested him to join the extra training period with the people in the third gymnasium. Raising an eyebrow, he murmured as he continued to stare at Yukimi’s smiling face, “Is it something to be celebrated about anyway?”

“It is!” Tanaka exclaimed after visibly admiring how Kuroo wooed Yukimi. “Every start of a blossoming relationship should be celebrated!”

Tsukishima looked away from Yukimi and blankly stared at the animated wing spiker, his voice carrying a slight curl of a tease. “I bet you never experienced that, Tanaka-san.”

“Why this little shit of a beanpole!”

“Tanaka, lower your voice!”

*

After a hectic morning full of practices, Yukimi was outside alongside Kiyoko and Yachi, holding trays of watermelon slices. The parents from Shinzen High immediately delivered them tons of watermelons when they knew that it was the week of the training camp, matching with the summer heat. The managers all excused themselves from the gymnasium when they were informed of the surprise delivery, making their way to the cafeteria to slice the huge fruits into hand-held sizes. While they were enjoying their time with each other, Yukimi gained a couple of remarks that she smelled like watermelon, which was something that flustered her as she tried to cut a portion of the fruit. A few moments later, Yukie came from behind her to hug her out of the blue since she has an affinity for anything watermelon as well, saying that Yukimi is her personal reliever since her fruity scent was never strong. Laughter was apparent in the cafeteria and it warmed Yukimi’s heart.

Now, Yukimi flashed a smile as Kenma headed for her to get his watermelon slice, Hinata and Lev following behind him as they talked loudly about random things. The medium-haired girl was relieved that she reserved small pieces of a huge watermelon slice since Kenma always had a small appetite. “Here you go, Kenma,” she told the second-year, handing him the small slice of the dewy fruit.

The setter instantly smiled at the small portion, mentally overjoyed that the dark-haired girl was thoughtful, unlike his childhood friend who would use every opportunity to make him eat more (since he should grow for his age). Taking the small triangle of watermelon, Kenma flashed a small smile that reached his eyes, “Thank you, Yukimi-san.”

“You’re welcome, Kenma,” she replied. “You should eat it when Kuroo’s not around and if I ever have an idea that he’ll be making you eat more, I’ll stop him.” With a small smirk, Yukimi lightly winked at the two-toned boy, to which he mentally beamed at. Turning to the person next to Kenma, the manager handed the first-year middle blocker his portion of the fruit. “Here you go, Lev.”

“Thank you, _kirei_ -senpai!”

As the watermelon slices on Yukimi’s tray were gradually given to some of the volleyball players close to her, the medium-haired girl was surprised when a small bite-sized piece of the fruit appeared in front of her mouth. Furrowing her brows in confusion, the caramel-eyed girl followed the hand waiting for her to take a bite of the fruit until Nekoma’s standard black t-shirt came into view and the all-too-familiar half-lidded golden gaze greeted her sight. Tucking her bangs behind her ear, Yukimi placed her hand on Kuroo’s wrist before taking a bite of the watermelon. It wasn’t Yukimi’s favorite fruit but when the dewy texture became sweet inside her mouth made the medium-haired girl look up at the middle blocker with sparkling eyes.

“I get why you’re so crazy about this fruit,” Yukimi muttered, still chewing on the small slices Kuroo kept giving her. “It’s really sweet.”

Kuroo grinned, waiting for her to finish the current piece before looking down on his large slice and ripping out a small part of the red fruit. “You should eat more,” he told her after she once again ate the watermelon from his hand, making him smile a little at how adorable she looked. Being the worrywart he is, Kuroo continued feeding her until she told him that she felt full. From this, he rose an eyebrow, taking in her small figure, not that he was complaining about how small she is, in fact, she looked perfect but Kuroo wanted to show how much he cared for her wellbeing by feeding her some more. “Okay, this is the last piece.” When he successfully made Yukimi eat the large slice of watermelon he intended to be his, he met the girl’s smirking face. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, I’m making sure you have your nutrients.”

Yukimi rolled her eyes jokingly. “You’re starting to make me like watermelon, never knew I get to see the day,” she told him.

The messy-haired boy rose both of his eyebrows in surprise. “You don’t like watermelon?”

When Yukimi lightly shook her head and answered, “I don’t like fruits in general sometimes,” Kuroo was confused. The girl’s favorite beverage was a fruit-infused milk. Her perfume was the fruit people were enjoying at the moment. The food she was always ordering in cafes were cake topped with fruits. Since the boy in front of her showed a variant of expressions on his face, all of them she was assuming was pondering on why she didn’t like fruits when she enjoyed them on other things, Yukimi quickly continued. “I prefer it to be mixed with something. Yes, I like the scent and some of them are my perfume but as for the sliced fruits, I just eat them when I’m sick.”

“Well,” Kuroo murmured, taking a small piece of watermelon and carefully eating it. “I’m going to be the one responsible for making you like fruits so you have your vitamins in check. I’d be sure to drop by your house some other time with Kenma so you can eat your fruits regularly because I think,” he trailed off to pinch her cheek affectionately with his clean hand, “that’s the reason why you’re always sick, Hana! You didn’t even finish the platter of sliced fruits when Kenma and I visited last time.”

“Okay, okay,” Yukimi laughed, taking Kuroo’s hand from pinching her cheek and holding it, intertwining her fingers with his. “I’ll keep that in mind so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“You’re always the one suggesting the diet composition to the team so now I’ll return the favor by being your nutritionist,” Kuroo replied, his smile growing bigger. “You deserve to be taken care of, too, you know.”

Yukimi’s heart swelled with warmth, making her stand on her toes to kiss Kuroo on the cheek. “I’ll take care of your smartass self, too,” she joked, making the two of them laugh. Then, she remembered something when her gaze gravitated behind Kuroo, eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Tsukishima hastily going back to the gymnasium after one slice of watermelon. Turning back to Kuroo, who affectionately trailed his gaze over her features, Yukimi blinked at the intensity of the boy’s stare, momentarily forgetting what she was going to say since Kuroo looked good under the summer sun. Shaking herself from admiring his honey-colored skin and golden gaze, she told him while nodding at the direction of the blond, “I think somebody’s still bothered with what happened last night in the third gymnasium.”

Kuroo followed her gesture, turning his head to the side to look at Karasuno’s glasses guy, and instantly understanding what the girl meant. Lightly groaning in another round of guilt, the messy-haired boy placed his chin on her head, pouting as he voiced out, “I’m going to apologize to Karasuno’s captain, who is coincidentally your best friend, the one person I don’t want to be in their bad graces because,” he paused for a moment to tenderly kiss her nose, “I’m finally dating you and you mean so much to him. I mean, if someone were to date Kenma, they have to go pass my extensive questioning just for me to approve them so I get how Sawamura-kun feels.”

“That aside,” Yukimi trailed of expectantly, her eyebrow raised and anticipating a certain reason as to why Kuroo needed to apologize to Daichi or better, to Tsukishima.

The golden-eyed boy groaned. “I will apologize because that’s what I was supposed to do after provoking glasses boy,” Kuroo explained in a rush.

Yukimi proudly nodded at him, lightly pushing his chest to steer him towards Daichi’s direction. “Go,” she reminded him softly. “I’ll be right here waiting.”

With a quick kiss on the girl’s forehead, Kuroo purposely went to where some of the Karasuno players were eating their watermelon slices. Once he reached the bottom of the ‘refreshing hill’, the messy-haired captain smiled his easygoing grin. “Sorry, by the way,” he announced to the group, catching the attention of Daichi, Asahi, and Tanaka, stopping them from taking more bites of their watermelons.

Daichi tilted his head a little to the right, confused at the apology that sprung out of the blue. “About what?”

“I think I might have pissed off your glasses guy yesterday,” Kuroo explained. When Daichi still held confusion on his face, Kuroo took it upon himself to sit slightly in front of the trio and relayed to them what happened during free practice the night before. With a hand under his chin, he told them, “You see, we invited him to our free practice along with that horned-owl bastard there,” he nodded his head towards Bokuto, who was enjoying another round of watermelon from Yukimi. “And after a couple of minutes full of joking taunts, he finally gave in and helped us,” he paused to sigh a little yet his eyes never wavered from following Yukimi, “but I might have said a few things and it involved your shrimpy middle blocker, I never knew it would snap something inside that glasses guy of yours, my bad.”

“Wow,” Daichi marveled. “Tsukishima actually helped with free practice even if you cornered him to it. What exactly did you say to him that involved Hinata?”

Tearing his gaze from Yukimi, Kuroo lazily glanced at where Hinata was shooting watermelon seeds alongside Lev. “I provoked him and said that he was going to lose to you shrimp over there.”

Asahi looked up to the clouds thoughtfully. “I’ve definitely noticed that Tsukishima felt inferior to Hinata somehow. It always looked like Hinata’s job was to be in the spotlight while Tsukishima assigned himself a job to keep Hinata out of trouble when they’re on opposite sides of our rotation.”

Tanaka gulped down a mouthful of watermelon before talking. “I’m not sure if this is relevant but from what my sister told me, Tsukishima has an older brother who was once a member of the team back in the days.” From this, the three third-years paying attention to what he was saying turned to him with interest etched on their faces, even Kuroo stopped placing his chin on his hand just to get a gist of the conversation.

“Wait, Tsukishima has an older brother?” Daichi asked, surprised at the new information.

“But I’m not too sure about it,” Tanaka assured them, waving his hand in front of his unfinished watermelon slice. “They could just have the same last name and not be related.”

“Hey, we’re about to start!” Sugawara called out to them with a hand cupped around his mouth.

The three third-years stood up from their seats and murmured similar encouragement to each other, leaving Tanaka to finish his watermelon slice in a flurry of quick bites. Kuroo calmly walked in front of the Karasuno players, his face brightening at Yukimi’s smiling mien waiting for him in front of the gymnasium’s doors. With a low ‘hey’, Kuroo casually wrapped an arm around the girl’s waist, leading her inside the gymnasium for the already-starting afternoon practice games.

*

After another day of the training camp ended, Yukimi found herself buried in work while staying for a couple of minutes inside the gymnasium as the other teams dispersed, it might be they were going to have an early dinner or stay a little for free practice. With the number of reports she was supposed to finish and hand to Nekomata, the medium-haired girl never stopped herself from writing on a clean sheet of paper on the moderate changes she noticed on Nekoma’s dynamic during some of the practice games. These are one of those times where she wished she worked this at home since her laptop was just an arm away from her and all the writing strained her arm.

Tilting her head back a little bit, Yukimi let out a small sigh, a thousand thoughts weighing on her mind. It was tempting for her to excuse herself from supervising Kuroo’s free practice, skip dinner (which she was doing a lot lately), take a nice bath, and wrap herself in her thick blanket and just let sleep have its course in her system. Envisioning the breathing animations her mother told her to watch, the medium-haired girl closed her eyes and breathed in a steady rhythm, isolating herself from the gymnasium and exchanging her anxiety for an image of a purple meadow under the night sky in her mind — her mental sanctuary. It was something that was suggested to her by a therapist she visited last year, when one of her breaking points nearly made her give up. A safe space that is, was what the therapist said, a place where she felt most at ease and will serve as something that would alleviate her worries. She can stay as long as she wants in that space but she passed out in year two when she followed the advice so Yukimi noted that it might take a toll on her health, mentally and physically, if she overdid it.

Opening her eyes, with the lights making her caramel irises glow, Yukimi slowly blinked. “I need my medicine,” she murmured under her breath as she loosely held the pen in her right hand. Then, as if through magic, the one thing she never knew she needed kneeled in front of her, looking at her like she was the only one existing in his eyes. “Tetsurou?” The syllables of his name flowed through like a breeze, her eyes becoming teary all of a sudden.

Kuroo’s eyes slowly widened when he saw the tears building up in her eyes. Panicking, he reached out to cup her cheeks, his thumbs wiping the escaping drops ever so softly. “Hey, hey,” Kuroo whispered to her, his head looking up at her ducked visage, her hair acting like a curtain to hide her breaking down in the gymnasium. “Hana?” He carefully called out to her but the dullness in her eyes continued as she let out tiny sobs. “Shit, come here.” Sitting beside her on the bench, Kuroo wrapped both of his arms around her, his head resting against hers and dropping kisses occasionally. “Hana, follow my breathing.”

A couple of minutes before Kuroo approached Yukimi, Kenma noticed something was wrong when their manager sat down on one of the benches positioned at the sides of the gymnasium. So with that, he requested Yaku to keep an eye on Yukimi, with the libero worriedly looking at the girl and giving her space, while the setter instantly race-walked to the nearest vending machine. Seeing as there wasn’t any banana milk, Kenma picked a regular box of milk and immediately went inside the first gymnasium. As he walked to where the pair was situated, his gaze met with Kuroo’s. Trying to pass a message that he hoped he wasn’t intruding, Kenma lifted the small box of milk until he stopped right next to the couple, with his childhood friend subtly nodding.

“Hana,” Kuroo softly murmured. “Kenma has something for you.”

“Yukimi-san,” Kenma said in his usual soft-spoken voice that seemed to soothe Yukimi’s tense posture. Crouching down in front of her, the setter tentatively showed the beverage to Yukimi’s line of vision. “There wasn’t any banana milk in the vending machine so I bought you this.”

Yaku, who was watching the scene from afar, decided to approach the trio. Right when Yukimi decided to lift her head from Kuroo’s shoulder, the libero reached out a hand to gently pat the girl’s head as she sipped on her drink. Without asking anything, Yaku transferred his hand from her head down to her back, rubbing random patterns that the girl found relaxing. Silence enveloped the quartet, with Kenma never taking his eyes off the manager, Yaku doing his job in alleviating the tense air surrounding his friend, and Kuroo playing with Yukimi’s fingers, intertwining them tenderly. However, this peace was then interrupted when Bokuto shouted from across the gymnasium.

“Kuroo—!”

“Aw, man,” Kuroo voiced out.

“Hey, I didn’t even say anything yet!” Bokuto yelled.

The messy-haired boy sighed under his breath, contemplating that he should skip free practice for the night to stay and keep Yukimi some company.

“Tetsu, you can go practice,” the aforementioned girl told him with a small smile.

“But—“

“I’m going to be fine,” she reassured him, squeezing his hand to punctuate what she told him. “Besides, I have the rest of the team to keep me company.” At that, Kenma nodded and Yaku grinned from beside the girl. “So go, Bokuto-san might be getting impatient if you’re leaving him hanging.”

Kuroo stared at her for a long while before giving her kisses on her forehead and cheeks since he was becoming self-conscious at the catlike stares his teammates were giving him, almost as if both of them were asking for him to kiss her on the lips and scold him for that. But surprised was an understatement when Yukimi gently laced her hand through his hair, pulling him down to lightly kiss him on the lips and parting from him with a smile. “I’ll be back, okay?” He then lingered his gaze at the setter, who was now standing up, and the libero, who was rolling his eyes endearingly at the two.

“Relax, Kuroo, we’ll take care of her,” Yaku told him before looking at Kenma. “Right, Kenma?”

The two-toned boy nodded. “We’ll play games together in the shared rooms until lights-out.”

“Okay,” Kuroo uttered, but not before giving Yukimi a final kiss on the crown of her head and jogging to where Bokuto and Akaashi were waiting for him.

Yaku then gently pulled on Yukimi’s hand with a bright smile. “Come on, Yuki-chan, let’s have an early dinner!”

Throughout the whole night, the caramel-eyed girl allowed herself to be surrounded by the people she never knew would accept her despite how run-down she is. Laughter twinkled through the night as Yukimi slowly detached herself from her mental sanctuary and started to appreciate how the Nekoma team treasured her in their individual ways, letting herself be wrapped around the blanket that are the connections between the members and tangling with each other as they shared stories in a small huddle. Even Kuroo, who was not present inside the shared room, continued to think about Yukimi and adding her name to their conversation in the third gymnasium.

(“ _Just a club_?” Bokuto lowly asked. “That almost sounds like someone’s name!”

“Ooh, like Yukimi club?” Kuroo dumbly included. “I would be the president of that club if it exists, no doubt about that.”)

Maybe, Yukimi never showed her dependence on her medicine for the first time in a year, taking it right before she cozily slept, with her mind letting her have one of the most peaceful slumbers she experienced in her life.


	29. GENUINE HAPPINESS.

“How are you doing there, Yuki-chan? Are you eating well? Please don’t tell me you spent your free time studying again, I thought I told you to have fun!”

Yukimi could envision what her mother looked like on the other side of the phone call — with the older woman’s usual worried countenance since her daughter has the ability to overwork. It was the third day of the training camp and the medium-haired girl decided that it would be nice to call her only family and try to assure her that she was doing fine. However, the moment Natsumi answered the call, Yukimi’s ears were immediately barraged with a flurry of questions. Laughing slightly at her mother’s worried nature, the caramel-eyed girl answered, “I’m doing fine here, Mom. Yes, I’m eating well and no, I’m not always studying,” she rolled her eyes with a smile, “you’re the one always assuming that I am!”

“Well, I can’t help but worry!” Natsumi helplessly claimed through the phone’s speakers. “You tend to open your textbooks even on a holiday trip, Yuki-chan. I want you to take a mental break every once in a while.”

The smile that was on Yukimi’s face slowly disappeared at the last statement. She lightly bit her bottom lip and peeled a little skin in agitation. Should she tell her mother that her episodes have been coming back since the first day of the training camp? Knowing her mother, the older woman would book appointments to various therapists around the city and it would only add to their endless expenses. There was one thing that Yukimi didn’t want and it was being a burden to the people around her. Briefly closing her eyes and deciding that she should stay quiet until she arrived in their house, Yukimi swallowed down the words ‘ _I want to go home_ ’ back to the crevices of her unnerved stomach, putting on a lighthearted tone, “I am taking a mental break right now and the team is literally on their break from having a practice match.” Smiling even though Natsumi couldn’t see her, she continued, “You, too, Mom. You should also take breaks. Where do you think I get my overworking attitude from?”

A chuckle came from the other end of the call. There was a pause and then, “I love you so much, Yuki-chan. I just don’t want anything to happen to you, that’s why I’m always worrying.”

“Nothing will happen to me, Mom, I’m assuring you.”

“Was that your mom?” A voice came from behind Yukimi as she bid her goodbyes to her mother before ending the call. Turning around, Yukimi smiled up at Kuroo, who was running his hands through his hair and looking at her with eyes painted in affection. It was making her heart pound in many ways she didn’t know it could. With a half-smile, Kuroo placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, his arms wrapping around her waist in a loose embrace. “What?” He laughed as he noticed that Yukimi kept staring at him with awestruck eyes, his smirk turning into a full-blown smile. “Cat got your tongue, Hana?”

“Why are you so beautiful?” Yukimi asked him in a daze, her eyes narrowed slightly as she trailed her gaze from his unruly hair that was actually soft despite its appearance, his half-lidded eyes that seem to stir emotions in her chest, his nose that always brushed against her cheek when they kiss, down to his lips that tasted like velvet. Since the first time she laid eyes on the golden-eyed boy when they were first-years, Yukimi couldn’t deny that he looked like he escaped from an indie modeling agency. The sight of Kuroo looking candidly handsome was staying true to everyone’s thoughts. “I think I didn’t say this to you but,” she trailed off, lifting her hand and placing it on the boy’s jaw, “you’re beautiful, Tetsurou.”

Kuroo was rendered speechless instantly, his lips parted in shock. After a few moments of staring at the amazing girl in front of him, the messy-haired boy whispered, “I should be the one saying that.” He then cupped Yukimi’s face with both hands and squished her cheeks endearingly, nearing his face to hers as he does so. “You’re the beautiful one in this relationship and I’m not just talking about outward appearances.” His golden eyes met with melted caramel, with his smile growing at the adorable shade of blush decorating Yukimi’s cheeks and ears. “I’m sure a lot of people surely agree with me on that.”

Yukimi shook her head lightly with a smile. “You really have a way with words, huh?” she murmured, standing on her toes right after. She noticed that as she did that, Kuroo slowly ducked down so that she wouldn’t have to strain herself. Taking the chance, Yukimi softly asked him when their faces were a hair’s breadth from each other, “Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t have to ask.”

With that, their lips met. Kuroo can taste the sweetness of watermelon as their lips danced in a slow beat, his heart pounding at the thought that Yukimi applied flavored lip balm. Opening his eyes a little, Kuroo tilted his head to the left as he deepened the kiss, hearing a lovely gasp from the medium-haired girl that tickled his chest and feeling her arms wrapping around his neck. Separating from her, his half-lidded eyes took in her flushed face and brushed his nose against hers.

“For an inexperienced person, you sure know how to make me breathless with your kisses,” Yukimi told him as she composed herself with breathing deeply, her face still flushing at the intensity of Kuroo’s stare. “Where did you even learn that?”

A smirk was then made its way on Kuroo’s lips, which was glinting with a light sheen from Yukimi’s lip balm. “So you’re saying that I’m a good kisser?” he cheekily asked.

The dark-haired girl looked at the middle blocker flatly before reaching out a hand to gently wipe the lip balm from his lips since nobody knew where they were right now.

“You and your vain tendencies, I swear,” Yukimi told him, causing him to laugh out his unique cackle. She assumed that Kuroo might have excused himself from the gymnasium to check up on her while she was making the phone call with her mother. Right now, they were just next to the entrance of the gym, overlooking the grassy hill of the penalty drills. Yukimi could only imagine their libero’s face if he knew he snuck out to give her a kiss or two. After diligently wiping off the lip balm, which was thankfully erased from Kuroo’s mouth, and yet the scent of watermelon stayed, the Karasuno team went outside to execute the penalty drills — again. Maybe they didn’t notice the couple glancing at them while they ran up the hill but it worried Yukimi when Tsukishima lagged behind his team, his breath coming out in pants. “I’m worried about him.”

“Who?” Kuroo asked, craning his head to take a good look at the sprinting team. “Sawamura-kun?”

The said boy was standing atop the hill, waiting for his team members to finish their drills. He looked like he wasn’t tired at all, something that Kuroo respected since even running can make him catch his breath. Puzzled at this, the messy-haired boy shifted his eyes among Daichi’s team to sight which of them Yukimi was worried about. It might not be that shrimpy ginger since Kuroo could see that he has some energy left to spare but he couldn’t deny that Yukimi gained a soft spot for the animated middle blocker, judging from the times he caught them talking to each other randomly during breaks. Technically, all of Karasuno’s members looked like they could go another round of practice matches _and_ penalty drills so he turned his head back on Yukimi’s face to curiously weigh where the girl’s eyes were planted at.

“No,” the dark-haired girl shook her head. “Daichi can run around all his life and still be going strong for years. I mean, have you seen his body?” Yukimi gestured at the aforementioned boy with a nod.

The dark-haired captain rose an eyebrow, his lips turning down in a little frown. “No, I haven’t,” Kuroo drawled, as if talking to a child since the girl’s remark sent his stomach lurching with unwarranted emotions that he felt during the Kagami Romio fiasco. It was familiar and it was making his mood sour a little bit. “Why, have you seen Sawamura-kun’s body?”

An incredulous expression was found on Yukimi’s face as she processed Kuroo’s words. Raising an eyebrow right back at him, she regarded the middle blocker with an amused mien. “Despite the many years that we’re friends, I haven’t seen him naked, that’s for sure,” she told him, nearly laughing when Kuroo quickly swiveled his head to her with a narrowed look that was too out of character for him. “I’m not interested in Daichi or just about anybody because,” she trailed off to kiss him on the cheek, “I think you know the reason for that — I already have someone to take care of.” A sweet smile lifted her lips, contented to see that sparkle in Kuroo’s eyes as he gazed right back at her.

There was some unknown force telling Kuroo to never look away from the lovely smile Yukimi possessed, with his mind engraving her in his soul — rather, it was like he was making her a constant in his life at that moment. The incessant pounding of his heart was making him nervous for no reason whatsoever as the black-haired girl tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He continued looking at her, never noticing that she has been talking for a while, with his shoulders jumping when Yukimi curiously turned toward him to check if he was alright since he was silent for a couple of minutes.

“You seem to be spacing out a lot,” Yukimi noted, furrowing her brows as she roamed her eyes from Kuroo’s face to his shirt-and-shorts-clad body. Still not seeing any distressing signs on his outward appearance, she stood on her toes to level her height with him, subsequently feeling Kuroo’s arms tightening around her waist to steady her. Now that Kuroo helped her retain her balance, she placed a hand on his forehead. “Your temperature seems normal. Tell me — is something wrong?”

Kuroo shook his head. “No, I feel fine, actually,” he answered, staring down at the girl while she placed her hand on his forearm. “In fact, you’re the reason why I’m spacing out.”

“Me?” Yukimi parroted, blinking in surprise. “Why? Did I do something to make you feel uncomfortable?”

“Never, Hana,” Kuroo hastily told her, pulling her close to him until there was no space between them. “You’re just leaving me both speechless and breathless at the same time and trust me, they’re not uncomfortable in the slightest. To tell you the truth, I’m enjoying what you’re doing to me so keep doing things that’ll make me struggle for words. Hana, I’m all yours.”

“Where’s that rooster-haired idiot?” Yaku’s voice flitted through the window above them, probably asking one of the underclassmen even though he had a perfectly good idea where their captain is since Yukimi was also absent. Kuroo had to hold back his snickers as Yaku continued dissing Kuroo for being a runaway rooster.

“He’s probably with _kirei_ -senpai, Yaku-san,” Lev’s voice answered.

“Well, he doesn’t have to take her away just because we kept her company last night,” Yaku replied quite haughtily. “And besides, break is over so he should be here by now!”

Yukimi then turned to Kuroo with a smile. “Duty calls, captain.”

“Just one more kiss—ow! You don’t have to squish my cheeks like that, Hana.”

“Go back inside and I’ll kiss you later.”

“You’re mean, Hana!”

*

“You’re watching us practice, _Kirei_ mi?” Bokuto shouted from inside the third gymnasium as Yukimi walked inside the building alongside Kuroo and Lev. It was the fourth day of the training camp and everything was going smoothly in Karasuno in terms of evolution and everyone thought that practicing more for their free time is one way of improving themselves as well. The said girl didn’t watch Kuroo’s free practice the night before since she was reading a novel that she brought for the training camp, so when she told the messy-haired boy that she will be supervising their practice, he was ecstatic. Now, Bokuto turned back to let the others know that a special person will be spending her time with them. “Hey, Akaashi, Hinata, Tsukki, _Kirei_ mi’s here!”

“See, I told you everyone’s dying to see you,” Kuroo told her with a warm smile, his hand gently placed on the small of her back. The middle blocker convinced her so many times since the start of the summer training camp that watching him during free practice is different than watching him in the official practice games. Unfortunately, the fourth day of their stay in Shinzen is the only time she could do so because the girl had been starting on their summer homework every other night. “With you being here, that owl idiot over there might get serious and he’s always a challenge when he gets serious during a game, which means we could practice off of it.”

Yukimi laughed, clutching on the novel she was planning on reading. “I just had to because I couldn’t say no when you do that eye thing,” she told him.

Instantly realizing what the girl meant, Kuroo turned to her with a half-smile. “Oh, you mean this?” He then pouted and widened his eyes intentionally, akin to a cat’s dilated eyes, which he noted was one of Yukimi’s weaknesses.

“Yeah, that,” the said girl flatly told him, her eyes looking at anywhere except for the dark-haired boy’s adorable mimicry of her favorite animal. “Now, I regret telling you that I like it when cats do that. You’re using it against me, Tetsu!”

“ _Kirei_ -senpai!” Hinata yelled with his eyes sparkling as he stared at the dark-haired girl, who was also mirrored his excited expression. The ginger-haired first-year then ran from the court to stand in front of Nekoma’s manager, eager to have her watch him from the sidelines. “Thank you for telling Kuroo-san to teach us how to block! Or if I’m right,” his voice gradually decreased volume as he became unsure of what he said, “you’re the one who suggested that he should teach us, right? Kenma told me yesterday!”

The whole time Hinata was bouncing in front of her, Yukimi controlled herself from reaching out a hand to endearingly ruffle the boy’s fluffy hair. Everything about Hinata is what Yukimi wanted in a little sibling, which was the prevailing thought echoing in her mind. She immediately became attached to the energetic underclassman when she got to know him while sharing small talks here and there during the training camp, especially when he talked about how he should become stronger if he wanted to stand in the same court with the rest of the team participating in the training camps. Schooling her features into a kind smile, Yukimi threw all her restraints from her head and patted Hinata on the head, which rendered him awestruck, his jaw dropped on the floor. “You’re welcome, Shoyo,” she told him. “I presented the idea to him but he already thought about it beforehand. I’m happy you’re doing your best!”

Kuroo could only look at Yukimi with a thoughtful face as she babied Hinata every chance she gets, remembering that the girl he’s dating always had a knack for caring for the lower years. Heck, she would even coo whenever they pass by a toddler, which always tugged on his heartstrings.

“Kazahana-san,” Tsukishima voiced out from behind Hinata, catching the attention of the said girl and Hinata, who became apprehensive when the taller boy called for the manager’s name. The blonde middle blocker twiddled with his thumbs nervously, his eyes staring at the floor before gazing straight at Yukimi’s caramel irises. “Thank you for making me realize that I should put my all in being a member of my club because if it weren’t for you suggesting that I join free practice with the others, I’d still be mulling over what to do at this point.” Bowing a little, Tsukishima tried hiding any hint of blush by pushing up his glasses.

Hinata let out a loud gasp, his finger pointing at the tall blonde. “That’s the most Tsukishima has ever said to a person!”

Tsukishima turned to his ginger-haired teammate with a glare. “Shut up, you tangerine.”

The medium-haired girl slightly widened her eyes before her face lit up in a lovely smile, stopping any sign of a growing fight between the two teammates. “I’m glad that you’re slowly going out of your comfort zone, Tsukishima-san. Trust me, you’ll be an exceptional blocker if you’re taking points from Mr. Bedhead here, plus, I’ll be watching and rooting for you while you do that.”

“Oi,” Lev called out to his fellow first-years, bummed that Yukimi wasn’t giving him advice and attention. The silver-haired boy made his way to the trio and pouted as he faced the medium-haired manager. “ _Kirei_ -senpai, I’m also improving at receiving as well! Yaku-san even said so!”

“That’s good, Lev!” Yukimi cheered, her smile growing since she was helping out Yaku in whipping the middle blocker into shape, with the libero teaching (shouting) that he should do this and that while the manager took note of every single fault and improvement while they were doing their practice. It was one of the reasons why Yukimi couldn’t watch Kuroo practice since Yaku would always unleash his demonic side if Lev wouldn’t do as he says, with Yukimi acting as the person calming down Yaku. “I’ve actually made a few adjustments on your stats since you have been improving a lot lately, though, from what our captain told me, you should start working on your blocking as well. That way, you’ll be more awesome than when you first started volleyball.”

“What’s this?” Bokuto hummed as he approached the small huddle with Akaashi in tow. “You’re all hogging _Kirei_ mi!” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders while he pointed to himself with an air of confidence. “It’s my turn to have her attention!”

At the side, witnessing all of this, was a blank-faced Kuroo. “And I’m supposed to be the one she’s dating,” he sighed helplessly, both of his hands placed on his hips as he shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

The 3v3 then started without hitches. Yukimi was surprised at the division of teams, glancing back-and-forth between the tall members of Kuroo’s team and Bokuto’s team, which consisted of the adorable Hinata. Since she took it upon herself to man the scoreboard, the medium-haired girl sat at the side of the court, carefully assessing the dynamic of each team and pinpointing their differences that she deemed as necessary for her notes later on. Her book was left unattended on her lap as she stared at the long rally ongoing at the moment, with Bokuto’s team managing another point by doing a quick attack through Kuroo’s blocks. Thus, another point closer to catching up with the ‘cats’ team. Right when they had a little water break, Yukimi opened her book to read off where she left behind.

It was a long time since she last read a novel. All she had been doing was reread the books she has on her bookshelf and if Kuroo didn’t bring her to a bookstore, she wouldn’t have new books to read. So as she waited for the short break to finish, Yukimi was immersed in the retelling she has in her hands. It wasn’t that she was an avid reader, it was because she grew to appreciate art and writing is a form of art, from her father’s words. She wasn’t like those other people who had a huge pile of read books, she only bought books she thought were interesting. For a person who was dubbed as a great visual learner, Yukimi had trouble going through a book with her slow-paced reading. If not slow-paced, then something else might have distracted her to make her concentration rattle.

One of them being Exhibition K.

Kuroo kept glancing at her and it was making Yukimi read the same paragraph over and over again. Damn him and his intense stares that seem to blow away any rational thought inside her head. Giving up on reading, Yukimi placed her bookmark between the pages and regarded Kuroo with a steady gaze of her own, mouthing along the lines of ‘good luck’ and raising her first playfully in the air, to which he smiled handsomely at, mimicking the gesture of raising his fist.

The game resumed with the ball in possession of Bokuto’s team, where he made a rebound instead of breaking through both Tsukishima and Lev’s block. Yukimi silently noted that and feeling bad afterward that she was unconsciously taking note of every single movement from a player of another team, sighing as she swallowed the guilt. Looking back on the court, a laugh threatened to escape from her throat when she saw Hinata flattering Bokuto up as the younger boy complimented his adept thinking. However, when her gaze gravitated towards Kuroo, she burst out in a fit of laughter at the look on the boy’s face — something that was reserved only for the gray-haired airhead on the other side of the net.

The next rally piqued when Lev tried doing a quick from Kuroo’s toss, hitting Hinata’s fingertips. The ball was astray and all of the boys’ eyes were fixed as Akaashi shook himself awake to receive the ball from the side of the net, with Bokuto passing it to Hinata. Yukimi felt chills run up her spine as she saw Kuroo’s devilish smirk, then exclaiming a, “That’s not fair!” The medium-haired girl was gawking at how Kuroo pulled the two tall first-years in front of the ginger-haired boy, who was preparing to spike the ball, thus, creating a tall barrier that not even Hinata could break through. But the sight of Hinata still jumping without any worries made Yukimi root for him to score a point. True enough, in the next minute, he just did. The ball ricocheted to the out-of-bounds line when it bounced off of Lev’s fingertips, making Yukimi lean forward in her seat with a huge grin.

“That’s amazing, Shoyo!” Yukimi shouted as Hinata finished explaining to the three blockers how he did it, with the medium-haired girl satisfied that the boy managed to score a point from that umbrella-like defense.

With his head still being rotated by Bokuto, Hinata turned to where Yukimi was situated, his face erupting in an adorable blush. “You saw it, right, _kirei_ -senpai?!” he exclaimed. “That’s my special attack!”

Yukimi flashed a warm smile and a thumbs-up. “You’re doing great, Shoyo! Score more points from Tetsurou’s team!”

“Hana, you’re supposed to be on my side!” the aforementioned boy yelled with a hand cupped around his mouth, to which was replied with Yukimi showing her tongue. Kuroo chuckled at the exchange between the medium-haired girl and the sparkly-eyed shrimp, admiring how happy Yukimi looked while hyping Hinata up. He then shook his head before fixing his eyes on the latter, his grin lighting up his face. “Hey, shrimp, welcome to the family,” he joked, thinking that at that moment, Yukimi might have been Hinata’s proud mother from all her cheering. “We’re adopting you.”

“Adopting?” Hinata echoed, his head tilted to the side, puzzled at the captain’s remark.

“If that’s what you call it,” Kuroo shrugged with a smile, now looking at Tsukishima, who was staring at Yukimi with raised eyebrows. “This guy right here, too.”

Tsukishima slowly turned his head to Kuroo, his face wary at the smirk painted on the senior’s face. Even though he chose to show how displeased he is with the messy-haired captain’s declaration, he also went along with it since Yukimi appeared to be the more responsible one of the two. If Yukimi is in the situation, Tsukishima can let out a sigh of relief. “If Kazahana-san’s in it, why not?”

“See, that’s the spirit!” Kuroo laughed. “To be honest, I’m happy that you’re warming up to her — it means so much.”

The blonde’s eyes widened slightly at how Kuroo phrased his statement. There was an underlying glint in the older boy’s eyes that made him question why he looked like he could offer the entire world to the radiant girl sitting on the side of the court. He doesn’t understand how relationships work since he wasn’t a romantic person, but at this moment, Tsukishima understood why Kuroo wanted to preserve that smile on Yukimi’s face because when he turned his head to look at the said girl, it looked like it was the first time she genuinely radiated a smile with other people other than her team.

*

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kuroo greeted her the moment Yukimi stepped on the floor where the boys slept. He just finished washing up in one of the bathrooms, his towel slung over his shoulder and his pouch of necessities in his hand as the said girl decided to freshen herself, too. Softly trailing his eyes over her droopy eyes, adorable pout, and low ponytail, the messy-haired boy’s heart kept pounding against the crevices of his chest. With the girl looking amazing for such an early hour, Kuroo couldn’t resist it as he dipped his head to capture Yukimi’s lips with his own, tasting cinnamon flavored-mints from the girl. Slowly pulling away from her and placing his forehead against hers, Kuroo looked at Yukimi with half-lidded eyes. “Good morning,” he repeated with a soft smile.

Yukimi hummed with a wistful smile of her own, standing on her toes to kiss Kuroo on the lips again. “Good morning to you, too,” she told him, slumping on his chest right after and nuzzling against him for warmth. Hearing the rumble from Kuroo as he chuckled, Yukimi wrapped her arms around his waist as she felt his hand gently running through her hair. “I want to sleep some more.”

“I’m sorry for making you stay up late with us,” Kuroo murmured as he leaned on the wall so their position would feel more comfortable. “Do you want to eat breakfast together? I’ll wait for you when you finish serving the other players.”

“I know you’re already hungry, Tetsu,” Yukimi uttered, her head tilted to look at him in the eyes.

Kuroo kissed her hair and forehead. “I insist,” he expressed, squeezing her waist affectionately.

“Okay,” Yukimi eventually agreed, her chest feeling fuzzy so early in the morning. “I’ll wash up first and then we’ll go to the cafeteria together.” She then unwrapped her hold on the boy to raise the sling bag filled with her essentials and a new change of clothes.

The messy-haired boy nodded in understanding, the smile on his face never stopping. “Sure, I’ll also tidy up my space in the shared rooms to pass the time.”

The medium-haired girl waved her hand a little but not before kissing Kuroo’s cheek, and subsequently making her way to the girls’ toilets. Once she was inside the said room, Yukimi immediately went inside one of the cubicles intended for people who wanted to take a bath during the training camps. Slinging her bag on the hook by the door, the medium-haired girl took off her clothes and hair-tie, taking the showerhead placed on the wall. Once she finished taking a bath, she patiently dried herself with her towel and changed into the standard uniform of being Nekoma’s manager, a black shirt, and the red sweatpants, yet her feet are still clad in slippers.

Now, in front of the mirrors, Yukimi brushed her teeth before carefully drying her hair with her towel. Flinching a little at the tinge of pain when she lightly ran her tongue on her lips, the girl took out her lip balm and applied a small smear on her bottom lips before pursing her lips and feeling it becoming less dry. She had to stop peeling the skin on her bottom lip if she didn’t want any unnecessary pain every time she’d wet her lips. With the mirror reflecting her smile, Yukimi turned towards the door after tidying up her bag.

At the exact moment she went out of the girls’ toilets, Daichi was leaning against the wall with his head turned suspiciously to the corner of the hallway. Confused at her friend’s position, Yukimi walked to him and calling out, “Daich—“

Upon hearing Yukimi’s voice, Daichi turned to her in shock before placing a finger on his lips, telling her to keep her voice down and gesturing for her to stand beside him. As the girl silently followed his instructions, the brown-haired boy continued eavesdropping.

“About the thing I was telling you about earlier.”

 _Was that Coach Nekomata’s voice_? Yukimi thought as she leaned towards Daichi to confirm what she heard. This looked suspicious since the corner where the older coach was in didn’t have any lights on. Yukimi curiously shared a wary glance with Daichi before looking away from each other to listen to the coaches’ conversation some more.

“Yes, it’s all been taken care of. It should arrive by noon.”

Yukimi rose an eyebrow, holding back her laugh at how people would misunderstand what the coaches were talking about if they happen to hear it, which is happening to her friend beside her. Daichi looked like he was horrified at the information, staring off into space before turning to the chuckling girl beside him, already guessing that she had an idea that the coaches planned this since she appeared to be close with Nekoma’s coaches. Sensing the perplexed look Daichi gave her, Yukimi met his eyes with a questioning expression, “What?”

“You knew about this?” Daichi asked, feeling a sense of excitement creep through his throat.

The medium-haired girl grinned in delight, reflecting her childhood friend's enthusiasm. “Of course,” she told him. “Prepare yourself, my friend, because we’re having barbecue for lunch.”


	30. DRAWING TO A CLOSE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there wasn't a lot of kuroo in this but i tried to focus more on yukimi's relationship with the people around her. i wanted her to expand her circle a bit more and make her feel that it's okay to slowly trust someone not entirely in the same area. and the fact that this was posted later than i expected was because my keyboard's laptop stopped working and i had to borrow the portable keyboard my mom has for her pc.
> 
> well, enough of that, happy reading, everyone !!!

As Nekoma won their final match during the summer, Yukimi was more than satisfied with the improvements her team showed. With the way they solidified some of their plays, Nekoma earned the second-highest number of won games during the training camp. Even though they were just subtle changes, she was proud to say that Karasuno wasn’t the only team to have their gears fitted with each other because from what she has witnessed, her team’s ‘usual’ isn’t what it used to be.

As she looked over her half-filled notebook, Yukimi read through some of the stats she acquired at the final practice game, noting that Lev was doing his best in being a sound receiver but as far as it goes, the medium-haired girl couldn’t deny that he still needs some more training from Yaku. Speaking of Yaku, Shibayama has also been improving a lot when it comes to being the reserve libero of the team but there will always be a case where the first-year freezes up if placed on the court. Yukimi scribbled something about talking to the first-years during one of their summer practices back to Nekoma in a small section of the current page, jotting it down in her mind that she will be rewriting it in her planner. Next, there are their setters and wing-spikers. There wasn’t anything amiss when it comes to Kenma giving perfect tosses to his teammates, in fact, he was exceptional as always. That was that for Kenma — the only problem is telling him to heighten up his stamina training, which will be hard since the second-year will find opportunities to avoid them.

Her eyes lingered on the name of the boy Yukimi was supposedly dating. At least, she assumed they’re dating now, from all the kissing and mutual connection every time they were alone. It ached her head thinking where does their relationship lie and after a few minutes of just staring at Kuroo’s name written on her notes, Yukimi figured that it could be her fault. Sighing a little before pensively gazing at Kuroo talking to Yaku and Kai, the dark-haired girl thought that she wasn’t ready for any sort of relationship but looking at the golden-eyed boy who proved to her that she was worth the wait, Yukimi had a feeling that he will be a constant in her life.

“Yukimi-chan, are you busy?” Miyanoshita Eri, Ubugawa’s manager, asked a few feet from her with a huge smile on her cherubic face.

Her caramel eyes flickered from Kuroo’s figure to the bubbly girl waving at her. Wordlessly, Yukimi offered a shake of her head and a close-lipped smile that reached her eyes, brightening up the melancholic atmosphere surrounding her and lighting her cheeks with a hint of blush.

Eri stared at her for a couple of minutes, her mind racing and heartbeat thumping at how dainty Nekoma’s manager looked while giving her an answer. Still gawking when the medium-haired girl requested a member of her club to give the notebook to the others, Eri had her jaw dropped when Yukimi rose both hands and ran her fingers through her hair and tying it in a high ponytail, the sight rendering not only her but their part of the gymnasium, speechless. True enough to Kiyoko’s words, Yukimi looked so good with the hairstyle that it pinched Eri’s chest with heartfelt adoration for the girl. “Uhm, we’ll be preparing the vegetables for the barbecue,” she squeaked out, her posture rod-like as Yukimi reached her. “The other managers are waiting for us there.”

Yukimi followed Eri’s nod and waved when the other managers grinned at her, all of them beckoning the dark-haired girl to their circle (except Yachi, whose eyes were sparkling and wide at the caramel-eyed beauty). “Let’s go, Eri-chan,” the dark-haired girl looped her arms with Eri, both of the managers making their way to the others with a light conversation and twinkling laughter.

Once outside, Yukimi mentally cursed at the heat brought by the peak of the summer holidays. Wearing a black shirt was not helping since she could feel sweat dripping from the curve of her neck down to the slope of her back. Yukimi rose a hand to pinch the collar of her shirt, fanning herself in an attempt to cool herself down as the group of managers reached their stations. Kiyoko and Yachi decided to carry the paper plates while the others washed the vegetables at the nearby water dispensers. Since her arm was still looped with Eri, Yukimi pointed to where the bespectacled girl was and excused herself to help Karasuno’s manager make the onigiri. Finding no problem with it, Eri flashed a thumbs-up to the caramel-eyed girl with a huge grin, her task of cutting the vegetables was waiting for her.

“Hey, Kiyoko-san,” Yukimi greeted when she placed herself beside the blue-eyed beauty, her hands placed behind her back, with her eyes gradually sparkling at the sight of the sticky rice waiting to be made into onigiri. “Wah,” she marveled, feeling herself comically drooling at the thought of eating grilled meat with some rice. “I’m getting hungry looking at the rice.”

Kiyoko chuckled, slightly shifting her body so that she will face Yukimi while working. “I’m starting to feel hungry when you mentioned that, Yukimi-chan,” she replied, followed by the said girl’s lighthearted laugh. With a smile, Kiyoko diligently rolled a small portion of rice in her hands after sprinkling salt on her hands, synching with the medium-haired girl’s actions. After a couple of minutes basking in comfortable silence, the blue-eyed girl lifted her head slightly to start a conversation, “I heard that Tsukishima is starting to break out of his shell because of you, Yukimi-chan.”

Upon hearing the girl’s statement, Yukimi couldn’t help but flash a small smile at the mention of the first-year middle blocker. Placing a finished onigiri on one of the trays, she replied with a sheepish smile and laugh, “I wouldn’t exactly take credit over something that will be considered as a milestone in Tsukishima-san’s time in your club but,” she trailed off to meet Kiyoko’s eyes with her small smile growing into a grin, “I guessed that a little nudge on the back will be enough for him to realize what an amazing player he is.”

“I’m starting to think that Kuroo-san is pretty lucky to have you as his girlfriend,” Kiyoko told her genuinely, a wide smile showing teeth displayed itself on the girl’s face. When she saw that Yukimi froze up at the word ‘girlfriend’, with the latter’s face flushing strawberry red and the formed onigiri in her hands slipping from her hold, Kiyoko couldn’t help but laugh endearingly at the sight of her friend becoming flustered. _It was about time_ , was what she overheard from some of Nekoma’s players as they recounted about Yukimi and Kuroo. Looking back on the first practice match with Nekoma in Miyagi, Kiyoko definitely saw the messy-haired captain give the caramel-eyed girl longing glances. “You’re probably the kindest person I’ve ever met and I also think that Kuroo-san hit the jackpot since you’re also the prettiest.”

“Y—You’re kinder and prettier than me, Kiyoko-san!” Yukimi stuttered out, her face now resembling the tomatoes on the vegetable table a few feet from them. She was feeling her face heat up at her friend’s first sentence since she never saw herself as Kuroo’s girlfriend (yet) but when Kiyoko threw those compliments at her face, Yukimi was ready to blow a fuse. There was something about compliments that hit differently when pretty girls utter them. Sobering from her flustered state, the medium-haired girl wistfully looked down as she formed another onigiri. “As for me being Tetsurou’s girlfriend, I don’t even consider myself that.”

“Oh?” Kiyoko looked at her curiously, stopping her work to give Yukimi all her attention. “Why is that, Yukimi-chan?”

A sigh came out of Yukimi, feeling her carefully constructed wall open up for the first time in weeks. “I’m not even ready when it comes to relationships, one of the reasons why I rejected people’s confessions a lot,” she told Kiyoko, who was nodding slowly and getting the gist of her friend’s situation. “And I’m scared that what he feels is something temporary since even I experienced falling out of my feelings for a different person, so how assured am I that this wouldn’t happen to him? I don’t want him to get hurt because of how neglectful and unsure I am in this unlabeled relationship because of what’s running on my mind.” Yukimi then groaned lightly. “This is also the first time I have problems not limiting to academics and it’s driving me insane.”

Feeling her lips tilt up in a soft smile, Kiyoko looked up at the clear azure sky before shifting her attention to the dark-haired girl beside her. “I understand how you feel, Yukimi-chan,” she replied, chuckling as she continued, “And that’s saying something because I’ve never been in a relationship. I can envision myself doubting things once I enter a romantic connection just like you.” She paused a little to continue rolling a portion of rice in her hands. “But I wanted to ask just to be sure — what do you really feel for Kuroo-san?”

“Words will never be enough to express how much I like him,” Yukimi answered in a quiet voice without hesitation, her face becoming warmer as every word flew out of her mouth. “He,” her voice trailed off as flashes of what happened at the beginning of the year flew through her mind, “was the first person to greet me on my birthday and I know that right there, it struck me that he was different than the boys I liked growing up. I wanted to convey to him the same amount of affection he always shows me — I want to make his heart flutter like the way he makes mine do, I want to put a smile on his face every single chance I get because it’s one of the most beautiful things I saw, and I,” her breath hitched in her throat, her cheeks now the warmest she felt, “want to tell him I’ve fallen hard for him the way he did for the past two years.”

The whole time Yukimi poured out her feelings, Kiyoko’s smile grew as her chest warmed at the thought that maybe this is the first time the caramel-eyed girl initiated a conversation that was suited for a female’s ears. It took a lot of control in Kiyoko’s part not to pinch Yukimi’s cheek since the latter looked so adorable being in love. With a smile, the bespectacled girl told her friend, “There you go.”

Yukimi jumped upon the realization that she bared her feelings out to a person other than Kuroo. She turned to the blue-eyed girl, who was giggling away, in a flustered manner. “I–I was so caught up and I just rambling whatever comes to mind,” she stammered, turning away from Kiyoko’s eye-smile to make another onigiri.

“From what I perceived, you treasure Kuroo-san,” Kiyoko started, looking away from Yukimi to follow the girl’s example in making onigiri. “It would take others years to admit that they love a person and from the way you answered my question, my guts are telling me that you and Kuroo-san will last. For now, let your heart take the reins and follow how time will tell the rest of your story. Take all the time in answering him that you’re finally his girlfriend. Cherish the moments you have with Kuroo-san now, Yukimi-chan, and just let yourself be happy because I’m pretty sure Kuroo-san is thinking how lucky he is to have you by his side.”

It was silent for a few moments, with the clatter from the grills and chatters from some of the players as the background noise, as Yukimi gawked at Kiyoko. Flashing the brilliant smile she is known for, Yukimi uttered, “I couldn’t thank you enough for listening to me, Kiyoko-san.”

Kiyoko reciprocated the smile her friend gave her, feeling the atmosphere around them becoming lighter than when they first started talking. “You’re welcome, Yukimi-chan,” she replied. “What are friends for?”

The two then shared smiles as they continued making the remaining onigiri, placing the last piece of food on one of the trays. Kiyoko talked about a lot of things that made Yukimi’s chest flutter with warmth, glad that she finally had a friend that she could talk random things to, the distance between them be damned. As for the bespectacled girl, she was grinning the whole time as Yukimi shared some stories of her own, feeling the same warmth encompass her as she gained a close friend. Noticing that there’s some leftover rice in her bowl, Yukimi decided that she took a small bite of it since her hunger seemed to heighten at the smell of meat being grilled. As Kiyoko also indulged herself in eating the leftover rice, the caramel-eyed girl felt a tug on her shirt.

Looking behind her, Yukimi’s face brightened at the sight of Kenma. “Hey, Kenma,” she greeted, to which the boy responded with a tight hold on her sleeve. Sensing that the boy might be trying to isolate himself from the rest of his team, she pinched a small portion of rice and lifted it in front of Kenma’s face with her face set in a smile. Seeing the setter’s eyes slightly widen in curiosity, she told him, “I have a feeling that a certain someone might be using this as an opportunity to make you eat more.”

Kenma blinked before looking back on the manager’s soft smile, then dipping his head a little to let Yukimi feed him some rice. Tasting the slight tang of the filling, the two-toned boy stared at Yukimi with bright eyes, making the girl inwardly coo at the adorable state her friend turned to. Clearing his throat a little, Kenma ducked his head down to trail his eyes over the many onigiris lined up on the trays, murmuring, “Everybody was talking loudly about the barbecue and some things that I couldn’t comprehend,” images of Lev, Hinata, and Inuoka blabbering in a different language flashing in Kenma’s mind as he narrowed his eyes, “and I noticed that you weren’t in the gym.”

“I was helping the managers prepare,” Yukimi answered, gesturing to Kiyoko beside her and the others cutting the vegetables on the other table. “Kiyoko-san?” the caramel-eyed girl asked, quite embarrassed at what she will be requesting, her gaze flickering to Kenma. “Can I take an onigiri?”

Kiyoko chuckled, not finding anything bad about Yukimi’s request. “Of course you can. Lunch will be starting in a few minutes anyway.”

Smiling widely and reaching out for an onigiri on the edge of the tray, Yukimi then turned to Kenma, who was now fidgeting with his smartphone and opening a game he left unsaved. She tugged on the hem of his shirt to catch his attention, golden irises subsequently meeting her caramel gaze timidly. “Here you go, Kenma, I can tell that you’re hungry from all the practice games,” Yukimi noted as she presented an onigiri in front of Kenma’s face. “You should start with a light snack first before having your fill of the grilled meat later. We promise that Kiyoko-san and I will keep this a secret.” Turning to the said girl, Yukimi received a nod from her blue-eyed friend, which made her brighten up even more.

Kenma’s eyes were then filled with wonder as he stared at his upperclassman, looking briefly at the snack he received with his free hand. Flashing a rare smile that sent Yukimi in a flurry of warmth, Kenma whispered in his soft-spoken voice, “Thank you, Yukimi-san,” and then taking small bites of the onigiri that wouldn’t attract attention from the other players now swarming the grills.

“You’re always welcome, Kenma.”

The next moments were filled with bouncing activity. As Kenma walked away to sit beside one of the doors of the gymnasium, Yachi came to the two managers to deliver the paper plates Kiyoko asked for. It was a good thing that everything was finished in the pair’s part so they accompanied the blonde manager to the other managers to distribute the cut vegetables around the grills, placing them on the table designated for each team. Though, all of them figured that the ‘two grills, one team’ grouping won’t be followed since Bokuto was already stationed at Karasuno’s part of the field.

“You have to explore how each team’s meat tastes,” Bokuto answered when Yukimi sidled up beside him after placing a ton of vegetables and raw meat on the table. The girl didn’t even say anything yet but the owlish captain could feel her presence radiating perplexity and confusion, so Bokuto turned his head (which Yukimi wanted to point that there was drool peeking out of his mouth but as her gaze roamed around the field, everybody looked like they were getting hungry by the minute) to the dark-haired girl. “It’s a meat war, _Kirei_ mi! And don’t worry, I’ll be providing you with food so you don’t have to tire yourself out by getting your share later!”

“That’s so kind of you, Bokuto-san,” Yukimi laughed with her hands positioned behind her back as she watched the meat slowly turn a lovely shade of burgundy under the heat of the grill.

“Hey, what’s all this talk of giving Hana food, huh?” The pair turned their heads to a smirking Kuroo walking towards them with slow footsteps. Once he reached Yukimi, he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and ducked his head to give her a kiss on the cheek, spurring the girl’s heartbeat to race. Kuroo then pulled his lips away but his face remained near Yukimi’s, a soft smile lighting up his face and turning his eyes into crescents. “Hey,” he whispered tenderly right by her ear, his lips brushing against her earlobe.

"Hi," Yukimi replied in the same softness.

“Kuroo!” Bokuto called, more like a shout since it made the said messy-haired captain slightly wince. “ _Kirei_ mi might have a hard time getting food later with all of us hogging down the grills so I decided to take the responsibility of secretly giving her food.”

The couple laughed at how Bokuto spoiled his not-so-secret plan, with Kuroo’s chin placed on Yukimi’s head and the girl’s hand intertwined with the messy-haired boy’s hand firmly placed on her waist. Well, for Kuroo, it was more like a sinister chuckle.

“If it means Hana eating more, count me in,” Kuroo cheekily replied, earning a sound of approval from his gray-streaked friend (which was akin to an overexcited owl, at least that what it looks like to the couple). The messy-haired boy shifted his gaze to the girl in his arms, already feeling the grin creep up his lips at the thought that another important person in his life will be subjected to his ‘you need to eat some more’ tendencies. With his hold tightening around Yukimi, he told her, “Be prepared to lose this small figure of yours, Hana, because, after this, you’ll find yourself bloated like the rest of us.”

“I think you should know that I was born with this body type,” Yukimi replied, staring right into Kuroo’s golden gaze with a half-smile. “It was something that was a burden to me because I can’t seem to get fat while eating so much. But,” she trailed off to pat Kuroo’s arm affectionately, “I’ll try to eat whatever you and Bokuto-san give me.”

“This is probably the first time I’ll be saying this to you so please take this lightly because this is not in any way meant to offend you,” Kuroo took a deep breath, eliciting a curious arch of an eyebrow from the caramel-eyed girl. “But I hate you for that. Do you know the amount of effort for me to achieve this?” He then leaned back a little to let Yukimi trail her eyes over his body since he was asking her to, with left his hand gesturing mainly on his abdomen.

Yukimi gave him a deadpanned stare, gaze flickering on Kuroo’s abdomen which she’s sure is taut with muscles (from all the hugs she gave the messy-haired boy, she could easily say that all his time in the volleyball club paid off). Rolling her eyes jokingly, Yukimi stood on her toes to kiss Kuroo on his cheek. “If you, your muscles, and Bokuto-san could excuse me, I’ll be with the managers over there because I can tell that the coaches will be saying a word to everyone.”

And with a final smile and trail of her watermelon perfume, Yukimi turned from the pair to make her way to the rest of the managers forming another batch of onigiri (Outaki Mako, Shinzen’s manager, told them that the onigiri will be short since everyone in their teams has a massive appetite). Kuroo’s eyes, however, never strayed from the girl’s retreating back, a hundred thoughts coming alive in his mind regarding her.

“Maa, Kuroo,” Kuroo could hear Bokuto’s voice whine beside him, “You are so lucky to have _Kirei_ mi as a girlfriend. She’s so kind, thoughtful, smart, and we shouldn’t forget how pretty she is as well!”

A racing heartbeat thudded. A dreamy sigh from his mouth. Along with a, “I really am.”

Summer magic had its perks to thank for.

*

“Don’t you dare let any of them use this as an opportunity to get closer to Kiyoko-san and Yukimi-san.”

Nishinoya stood in front of Tanaka and Taketora with a comically serious face, spurring the other two to mimic his expression, their minds set on ‘protecting’ the two girls they adore. It was an unspoken agreement between the three boys that the libero should be the ringleader in their little circus since he was the only one who received a holy slap from Kiyoko. Though no one knows why Yukimi was included in their triad of protection, seeing as the girl has Kuroo and Daichi to do that but with Taketora by their side, they considered it as a part of their little agreement. Nekoma’s manager is worth protecting and their ace can easily provide an annotated essay on why and Nishinoya doesn’t want to listen to the speech his newly-found friend came up with so he let it slide.

“As you wish!” Tanaka and Taketora simultaneously agreed to whatever shenanigan they have to do.

So as Kiyoko and Yukimi passed by, holding their plates of meat and talking casually about their current likes (which started when Kiyoko asked what Yukimi typically likes since she wants to know what kind of person her friend is), some of the members of Fukurodani gawked at the two girls like they were deprived of any sort of female contact. This was perceived as ridiculous to the eyes of the trio plotting their formation as they channeled their inner demon faces.

“You talk to Karasuno’s manager, I’ll talk to Nekoma’s,” Komi whispered with a blush on his face.

“Okay, then after five minutes, we’ll switch,” Konoha whispered back with the same flush on his face.

As if there was a radar inside him, Kuroo, who was happily talking with Bokuto, Hinata, and Goura, Ubugawa’s captain, stopped his laugh and turned to where the two Fukurodani players were settled. His face contorted into a blank façade, his golden gaze turning sharp and his mood turned sour in an instant. There was one thing that Kuroo was peeved at when it comes to the people’s reactions when they laid eyes on Yukimi, and it would be their never-ending unacceptable stares that make her uncomfortable. Sure enough, when he shifted his gaze to his ‘girlfriend’, his eyes narrowed at Yukimi’s tense shoulders and habit of looking down every time a guy calls out to her. Also, there was talk that his cold stare definitely unnerved some players during tournaments so Kuroo used it to his advantage to stare down Konoha and Komi, not caring if Bokuto kept stealing the meat on his plate.

Kuroo had to ensure that Yukimi will never feel that way. There's still a lot of meat on the grill anyway.

The next moment, the libero and wing-spiker felt chills running down their spines, not only from the trio up front doing a funny dance that looked like a fan but also from Nekoma’s captain who looked ready to kill them in a practice game. It was a good thing that the training camp concluded because if not, Nekoma would surely bag their first win against Fukurodani easily.

As for Yukimi, the weighing stares boring through her back stopped and it made her slightly sigh in relief. Looking behind her, the caramel-eyed girl was confused at the sight of Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Taketora circling alternatively with faces not suitable for children (it would scare then off). Also, not too far from them, Kuroo looked like he swallowed a sour piece of candy (the kind that you prank your friends with), with his eyes blank and yet his face scrunched up funnily that didn’t match his teasing personality. However, the more she stared at the four of them, the more she could feel a bubble of laughter coming out from her mouth, reaching Kiyoko’s ears.

“What is it, Yukimi-chan?” Kiyoko asked curiously.

All it took was Yukimi pointing to the direction of the trio and Kuroo and Kiyoko instantly laughed alongside her.

“ _Kirei_ mi!” Bokuto shouted from one of the gymnasium’s entrances, his plate overflowing with vegetables, meat, and onigiri, catching the attention of the two girls. Around him, a stiff Kenma was shaking his head rapidly with a scrunched up face, a perplexed Tsukishima beside a laughing Yamaguchi, and two other captains who look like pushy uncles (aunts) who want to fatten up their nieces and nephews. It was a funny situation that made the caramel-eyed girl laugh again, thus, brightening up Bokuto’s face some more. “Eat some more meat, too!”

Yukimi looked down on her plate, which was filled with vegetables rather than the meat, before lifting her head to smile sheepishly at Bokuto. The culprit was standing alongside him, in all his rooster presence full of glory, with Yukimi’s stare flat as she shifted her attention to Kuroo looking so proud that he managed to rope her in a few minutes earlier. “I think I have enough food on my plate, Bokuto-san,” Yukimi told him with a smile. “Thank you, though.”

“But I don’t see any meat there, Yuki-chan!” Daichi inserted, his mouth full of the onigiri. He then held his plate to her, his paternal instincts twitching that maybe his childhood friend might be holding out on the meat. Those times back in middle school where she tried to skip meals because of schoolwork and those times where she was shy to pick the food she wanted flashing in his mind, urging him to make her eat like old times. “Come on, don’t be shy, Yuki-chan, you won’t grow like that.”

“Oh, you didn’t just go there, Daichi.”

“I was not talking about your height, Yuki-chan!”

The dark-haired girl huffed, turning to Kiyoko, who noted that Yukimi doesn’t like it when people mention her stature. “I have enough of testosterone,” she voiced out with a bright smile. “Kiyoko-san, let’s go to the others.”

“I was thinking of going there, too, Yukimi-chan.”

The two girls smiled at each other, walking away from their previous spot to join the other managers, who happened to be talking about their respective teams. Yukimi took a seat on the grass in front of the vacant chair, an indication that she wants Kiyoko to sit there instead. She could tell that the blue-eyed girl was apprehensive since she lingered for a while before plopping down on the chair. The next moment, Yukimi and Kiyoko received cups of iced-tea from Kaori, finding themselves giggling at Yukie gobbling up the piled-up meat on her plate.

“But I think the most mature third-years would be the ones in Nekoma,” Kaori added once their conversation opened on the third-years of every team, which was started with Mako mentioning that Karasuno’s upperclassmen appeared mature for their age.

Yukimi laughed. “I have to agree with that but if it comes down to it, Kai would be the only mature one in their little trio,” she told them, catching the managers' attention and hearing a sound of surprise from Mako. “Yaku might be composed but he has a reputation of being called the ‘demon-senpai’ among the lower years and don’t get me started on our captain.” She then looked at Kaori with a knowing look. “I mean, he shares a brain cell with Bokuto-san the times they were together.”

Kaori let out a laugh. “I agree! They’re the perfect pair — the simpleton and the provocation expert.”

“I can see that they’re having fun from all the bickering they have in the gym,” Eri noted with a laugh, not even denying that the duo always put a smile on everyone’s faces, even the coaches. “It was entertaining to watch.”

The managers shared casual conversation here and there, which lifted Yukimi’s lips in a soft smile. But the next thing she knew, her eyes unconsciously gravitated themselves to the messy-haired boy who apparently shared a brain cell with Bokuto, her stare glazed with a warmth that perked Kuroo in his perch with his friends. Their eyes met and it flustered Yukimi to the point of staring down at the cup of tea in her hands (which she never knew she was clutching as her life depended on it) with a flushed face. It was a familiar sensation when she just realized that she was falling for him and it took everything in her to meet his gaze again.

Kuroo then looked down with the tips of his ears burning, a wide love-struck smile on his lips, before meeting Yukimi’s sweet caramel irises again. This little moment was only meant for the messy-haired boy to steal some glances at the enchanting girl but it ended up being more heart-fluttering than he thought.

The next thing the two of them knew, they were falling in love with each other all over again.

*

Azure turned to orange as summer welcomed another sunset, coloring everything in a very distinct color palette of pinks and tangerine. It was bittersweet this time — the parting of the teams establishing bonds with each other, as they exchanged another round of conversation about the tournament in their prefectures. Tokyo was scheduled later than the others, which was the usual since the capital housed too many schools, and the number of days the tournament covered can extend to a week. There was also a late-afternoon round of watermelon in one group but one thing remained the same — they all wanted to prolong the training camp.

There were a lot of things that rendered Yukimi surprised during the last hour of the training camp.

Kiyoko hugged her tightly after a little ‘you can message me anytime’. Her eyes were wide as the bespectacled girl murmured that they should hang out sometime, no matter the distance, and she had to regain her thinking for a moment to reply that she will be available any time of the year as well. It bummed the two girls, knowing that their first close friend will be living miles away. Again, it was bittersweet. Next, Tsukishima called her by her first name and telling her, “You can call me by my nickname, too, Yukimi-san.” It was received in varying intensities by the people surrounding them — Yamaguchi was nearly in tears at the interaction, Daichi and Kuroo both looked like proud parents, and Nishinoya and Tanaka badmouthing the blonde since he got to talk to Nekoma’s pretty manager. Hinata then tackled her in a sunshine embrace, making her laugh heartily, endeared that the ginger-haired boy wasn’t afraid that this will be perceived differently. He exuded the little brother atmosphere that Yukimi liked a lot.

“You better block those spikes, Tsukki, oh, and I’ll be checking up on you from time to time!” and “Fly high in the InterHigh as you promised me, Shoyo!” was her version of farewells to the two first-years.

Now standing beside the other managers, Yukimi gave a final wave to the team of black wings and an orange resolve, a smile lifting her lips as shared it with her childhood friend.

With the sunset, the summer training camp has finished its entirety like it flashed in front of everyone’s eyes.

'Until next time', indeed. 


	31. SOFTEST LINGER.

Going back home was akin to experiencing jet lag despite living in the same country. The moment Yukimi stepped inside the comforts of her house, she immediately dashed to her room, grateful that the house was empty for the day (her mother had a shift that lasted till ten at night, something that she once cursed). Turning on the air conditioner, the medium-haired girl took off her jacket and instantly plopped on her made bed, enjoying the lowest temperature her air conditioner can blow since summer was still at its peak outside, judging from the children around their neighborhood (she passed by a yard with an inflatable pool set up on it and some sporting stands of lemonade).

She swore she slept throughout the day like a log — no one to wake her from the fruity scent of her covers and her dreams of gold eyes and handsome half-smiles.

The whole week after the training camp was pretty uneventful in Yukimi’s part.

All she did was settle on her low coffee table, open her school bag, and continued answering the summer homework that seemed to pile up when she checked them. Each subject’s homework packet consisted of spreadsheets that needed to be solved (judging from the red and orange, Yukimi figured they were from Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry), readings that should be noted for upcoming back-to-school tests (the rest of the courses in Science and Social Studies — her teachers show no mercy at all), and reports and writing projects for her literary subjects. The only time she got out of her room was to take a bath or to get her meals because once Yukimi was motivated to finish something — be it her schoolwork or reading books, she couldn’t stop. As she finished her summer homework, Yukimi opened her laptop to make an impromptu report about the volleyball club and how they were faring — listing all of the content in her notebook revolving around the two training camps.

Running on caffeine and sugar was a normal occurrence to the medium-haired girl as the summer days pass by. Right when she finally reviewed her answers (which are thoroughly checked so many times that her eyes burned the answers in her brain), it was the final day of the week after the summer training camp and Yukimi was itching to read a book. It proved to be harder than she thought as she stood in front of her bookshelf, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed at the array of already read books.

(The books on her shelf can be counted quite easily due to the number of times she kept rereading novels — in short, Yukimi was bored out of her mind at the lack of flavor in her owned books.)

Deciding that she should go outside her house once in a while, Yukimi searched for an outfit to wear, her destination in mind is the nearest bookstore which usually took her one train ride. Entering the bathroom down the hallway with her picked clothes (a habit she carried from middle school where she would change in the bathroom instead of her room), she washed her face before changing into her choice of clothes. While brushing her hair from tangles and letting it rest past her shoulders in loose curls, the caramel-eyed girl took in her appearance — an oversized maroon short-sleeved button-down with its front tucked inside a loose pair of black high-waist shorts.

While tidying up her tote bag with her essentials, Yukimi hovered a few minutes on her phone, pursing her lips in contemplation. She was feeling the embarrassment bubbling in her stomach, telling her mind that what she will about to do will go both ways. Yukimi already hogged all of his attention in the training camp, mainly the reason why she chose to talk to other people on the last day, so requesting this from him made her think that she might be getting a little too clingy for her liking. In the end, with a shake of her head, the medium-haired girl put on her white socks as she pushed that thought back in the crevices of her brain.

Her phone _dinged_ with an incoming message.

Yukimi turned her head to the gadget sitting on her bed while pulling the tote bag on her shoulder. It could be from anyone, was what she thought as she turned her phone on, since she had promised Kiyoko and Daichi that they will be talking to each other more often through messages.

Her eyes widened as she registered that it wasn’t just from anyone.

_From: Tetsu_

_Subject: This is quite random but I’d do it in a heartbeat if it’s you._

_08/05 11:13_

_Hana, let’s go out for the day._

_We wouldn’t want to have you cooped up all day in your room, am I right? We can do all the things you want (this isn’t like what you’re thinking, if I’m correct with what you’re thinking right now, you and your dirty mind, Hana). So, get dressed and take all the time in looking pretty (but I’m sure that you already look good effortlessly)._

_Don’t rush, okay? Tell me if you’re done getting ready. By the way, what are you wearing?_

_Yours ;),_

_Tetsurou~_

The effect of this boy with the golden specks in his eyes is absolutely seraphic.

Yukimi always found herself upon the moon with a thumping heartbeat that could be heard through any part of space every time Kuroo does something that can be considered as minuscule to others because as far as she knows, it may be little things but it will always ignite the same pink warmth she felt around the messy-haired boy. So with a smile lighting up her face, Yukimi typed a reply saying that she was already planning on going out and that his message is great timing, adding that they should meet at the station. In turn, she received a hastily typed message from Kuroo saying that he will be ready in time at all so that she wouldn’t have to spare her time in waiting.

After saying goodbye to her father’s picture and locking the front door, the caramel-eyed girl took her time in getting to the station, slowing her pace down so that she could reach their destination right when Kuroo arrives. She palmed down her phone, quickly writing a message to her mom to let her know that she will be out for the entire day and that she may be home later than normal. Of course, intentionally leaving out that she’s going out with Kuroo because that would make her mother riot (positively, what else?) so Yukimi wrote ‘going out with a friend for the day’ instead of the boy’s name. It would be for the better to avoid further questioning from the older woman — she doesn’t want a repeat of the Romio topic.

There it is — the station. Overflowing with people of various generations, there wasn’t any sign of the messy-haired boy she spontaneously invited to a date (more like it was Kuroo but she was already dressed so she decided the date was established on equal manner). Yukimi completely understands so she took out her phone to scroll through her social media until she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

True enough, there’s Kuroo Tetsurou.

The whispers follow after him. Partly the reason why Yukimi knew it was instantly him. The group of girls beside her (probably first-years from the looks of it) talked about a tall boy with messy hair and who else would it be? Even Yukimi couldn’t deny that Kuroo is the definition of the word ‘handsome’, from the way he carried himself with an air of confidence that will be too hard to pull off if you’re not him to the way he was practically sculpted — his face, body, and mind saying it all. There wasn’t any hint of prettiness when it comes to the volleyball club’s captain — everything about it is just ruggedly boyishness that sets him apart from the rest of the boys Yukimi knows. Heck, her previous crush (redacted, for an obvious reason) is a pretty boy and that’s saying something of her tastes in people.

Clad in a tucked-in black and red short-sleeved button-down opened at the bottom to show the black shirt he has underneath, Kuroo sauntered towards her with his hands inside the pockets of his black slacks. He outdid himself when he asked what clothes Yukimi was wearing and picking out an outfit that had the same color scheme as hers. The medium-haired girl felt her face grow tremendously warm, reaching to the tips of her ears, as Kuroo reached a hand to take her tote bag from her shoulder and doing the job in carrying it with the most blinding smile Yukimi received in the day.

“Hey,” Kuroo greeted, finding himself drawn to Yukimi’s presence as soon as he met up with her.

His heart was making all sorts of beats that made his head hazy because no matter how many times Kuroo sees the dark-haired girl in a single day (in his mind when they went home after the training camp because it was summer vacation), she is only becoming more beautiful than she already is and he was liking every second he stares at her. So, like a butterfly attracted to a blossom’s nectar, Kuroo dipped his head to capture Yukimi’s lips with his own, his heart tingling at the small hum of contentment coming from the medium-haired girl. He could feel the tiniest flutter of her eyelashes against his cheeks and the brushes of her palms on his chest, making Kuroo nudge forward a bit to pull Yukimi closer to him with his arms wrapping around her securely. When they pulled away, a sliver of space wedging between them yet maintaining the proximity, Kuroo took the time in staring into her caramel irises with half-lidded eyes, his chest becoming warm.

“It’s only been a week,” Kuroo murmured with a tiny blush creeping on his face, his tone soft yet hesitant, almost as if he was unsure of what he would be saying next. He doesn’t want to sound that clingy but he also wants to let her know what he feels. So punctuating it with a squeeze of her waist, Kuroo whispered against her lips, shivers running down his spine as he registered that Yukimi once again applied her flavored lip-balm, “But I miss you, Hana.”

Yukimi smiled up at him. “I miss you, too, Tetsu.” She then felt people looking at their direction, making her bury her face in Kuroo’s chest. “I think we have an audience.”

Kuroo indifferently glanced at the other people discreetly giving them gossiping stares before softly smiling at the shy mess that his ‘girlfriend’ turned to. “I don’t mind, though, let them watch.” When Yukimi lifted her head from his chest with furrowed brows and a cute pout, Kuroo couldn’t help but laugh at how adorably grumpy she looked. “I’m just kidding.” Ducking a little bit, he brushed their noses together with a silly smile on his lips before his voice dropped in a more serious timbre. “I’m kidding … but I can’t blame them when you’re so beautiful looking like that.”

“Stop it,” Yukimi laughed. “Have you seen yourself?”

A flutter of a kiss then brushed on their lips, with the two of them smiling through the contact.

It ached Yukimi’s heart that Kuroo could look at her with eyes filled with adoration. Before she knew it, there was a surge of the same adoration overcoming her, dedicated to the boy in front of her — making her stand on her toes to kiss him on the lips again. What made her swoon though was the glazed look Kuroo returned — his eyes were closed at the soft kiss but when he opened them, there was a glimmer of wonder sparkling and swirling through his golden irises as his eyes widened. Yukimi couldn’t help but lightly pinch the boy’s cheek before grinning and lightly pulling him to the awaiting trains.

“Come on, we have a whole day ahead of us.”

With just that sentence, Kuroo was grinning like a fool as he followed the exuberant girl, entwining their fingers together.

*

“The only reason why I decided to go out is to pick some books to read through the summer,” Yukimi sheepishly admitted with a coy smile, peering up at Kuroo as they entered the shopping district near their neighborhood (it was more like near their side of Tokyo because they couldn’t even deny that there was a lack of places to go to in their area). “My bookshelves need some addition because I’ve got to say, it’s lacking some flavor lately.”

Kuroo hummed, a sign that he was listening to what Yukimi was saying, his hand placed firmly on the girl’s waist while his other one gripped the strap of her tote bag hanging on his shoulder. Looking down at her after eyeing a store displaying some minimalistic jewelry, the messy-haired boy replied, “You already finished the books we bought on our first date?”

The girl nodded, her eyes meeting Kuroo’s gaze. “Yeah,” she answered with a little laugh, her heart becoming warm at the mention of their first date. It almost feels like forever since they went out that day. “If I tend to like the plot or if it starts as something promising, I might breeze through it even though I read slower than the others out there.”

“I don’t exactly read that much but I can tell that you really like them,” Kuroo noted, his smile still playing on his lips as he lightly pulled Yukimi to his side as they passed by a good number of people. “So what were they about?” His tone gained a little tilt as his face mirrored the wide smile Yukimi gave him. “I’m all ears, you know?”

“The first book I read was pretty interesting,” Yukimi then delved into a lengthy explanation about traveling through parallel universes and warping time that somehow fit together in a solid plot, her hands aiding her in making her monologues more expressive, which Kuroo liked on her because her eyes looked happy. “I’m not a fan of science-fiction but there’s always something about the application of quantum physics that sets me into one of my reading modes. Of course, there’s also the impending possibility that the multiverse exists, I mean, who wouldn’t get excited over that?!”

“If it exists,” Kuroo started, his head tilted up to the sky with a small grin before looking at her with a cheeky smile. “I have a strong feeling that we’ll still be together in all of them. Better, there could be an alternate universe where the roles are reversed — me being the club’s manager and you being the hotshot volleyball captain. That seems interesting enough to me. Now, you in the girls’ volleyball uniform is something I’d like to see someday!”

“I swear to God, you have a way with words — it’s scary because it’s doing some wonders to me,” the medium-haired girl murmured under her breath, her cheeks flushed at Kuroo’s last statement. He had been imagining her in the girls’ volleyball uniform? It would take years for her to wear an ensemble of a dry-fit jersey, not to mention she couldn’t do sports to save her life, so it was a great surprise that her supposed boyfriend shared these thoughts about her. Not taking how malfunctioned her brain turned into after staring at Kuroo for a few seconds, Yukimi looked away to plant her gaze at the stonework they were walking on, glad that she let her hair down for the day.

“Hmmm?” Kuroo’s voice once again gained that teasing tilt, making the girl beside him tense slightly. “What exactly are those wonders and where do you particularly feel them, Hana? Do tell me, for research purposes only, of course.”

“Unbelievable.”

The messy-haired boy’s chuckle rang through the air as he continued teasing the caramel-eyed girl. He refrained from making comments that could hurt Yukimi, knowing that the capabilities of his sharp tongue were sometimes uncharted waters even to him (he could even insult some of his kindest friends, one of them being Kai, without him knowing it). The two of them walked down one of the many streets of the shopping district until the boutiques and fashion department transitioned to eateries and cafes, making Kuroo remember that it was nearing lunchtime and the people in this area of the shopping district is slowly becoming crowded. “Hey,” he voiced out to Yukimi, earning a hum in return. “Why don’t we eat lunch? Since there seems be more people going inside the restaurants at this hour.”

Yukimi looked around the people already flocking specific restaurants and felt that they should also take a seat on one of them so that they can have a secure lunch. Turning to Kuroo, she told him with a nod, “I think that’s a great idea.”

“So what are you thinking of eating right now?” the dark-haired boy asked her whilst slightly pulling her to his side, her shoulder pressing on his chest because people have been bumping into them a lot, his soft gaze on her transferring on the people passing by with a slightly narrowed look. He didn’t miss that disgusting smirks and lingering eyes of a group of boys (most likely the same age as them) as they passed by Yukimi — and it was enough making his blood boil. Of course, he was proud to have the most beautiful girl being his girlfriend and he was all for other people admiring her (because he was doing the same thing before everything brewed a fantastic series of events) but Kuroo doesn’t like the way some men exhibit their behavior when it comes to seeing the girl for the first time.

Feeling Kuroo slightly pressing against her side, Yukimi was ready to blow a fuse at how close they became, her heart pattering wildly inside her chest. It took every bit of her not to stutter as she opened her mouth to answer the boy’s question, “I think a yakiniku restaurant will be nice since I already miss the grilled meat during the training camp.”

“Yakiniku it is, then,” Kuroo agreed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more, as he looked around the restaurants lining their side of the shopping district. Sure enough, there was a yakiniku restaurant a few feet from them and it looked like people are starting to head there as well. “Hana, there’s one over there.” Kuroo pointed to where the eatery was situated, gaining the attention of Yukimi, who was thoughtfully eyeing a little kid laughing with his family. Noticing the wistful air surrounding the girl, Kuroo kissed her temple to bring her back from thinking things too much. Once he received the usual glimmer in her eyes as she looked up at him, the gold-eyed boy asked her, “Let’s go?”

A nod was the only thing Kuroo needed as he gently pulled her to where the yakiniku restaurant was. As they were entering the sliding doors, the messy-haired boy made sure to let Yukimi enter first, his eyes never leaving her awed figure. There was something amiss though and Kuroo couldn’t help but feel that there seemed to be a switch turning itself on inside the girl’s mind. It was like there was an invisible wall pulling up between them and it was not settling right to Kuroo because it felt familiar. A series of events flashed inside his mind, all of them centering on the aloof yet kind personality Yukimi exhibited during their stay in Nekoma — her trying her best to fit in and giving up at the next minute, offering smiles to her classmates and excusing herself at the fastest way possible, and isolating herself every lunch or vacant hour. He tried shaking them off but he had a feeling that their good time right now might have something looming soon.

He sure hoped nothing will happen to Yukimi.

For an eatery full of grills, the whole restaurant was circulating with cold air from the many air conditioners stationed around the ground floor. It was something that the two of them appreciated after roaming around under the summer heat. Now, Kuroo and Yukimi settled themselves in a booth meant for four people, with a long couch stuck against the wall and facing two comfortable chairs across the grill, the messy-haired boy making himself comfortable beside Yukimi on the long couch.

“This is more convenient than me sitting across you,” was what he told Yukimi, which was partly true because he instantly took the job in cooking the food and feeding the caramel-eyed girl beside him (even though they haven’t ordered yet). Of course, he can also wrap his arm around her shoulders or waist casually without looking like the awkward person that he is when it comes to his girlfriend — that’s a plus.

“Whoa, they have everything in here,” Yukimi noted as she opened the menu and flipped through it page by page. A smile made its way to her lips when she felt Kuroo’s arm settling on her waist, the small smile growing into a grin when the messy-haired boy planted his chin on her shoulder, his eyes lazily trailing over the many dished and combos the menu offered. Absentmindedly, Yukimi rose a hand and ran it through Kuroo’s hair, hearing a low hum right beside her ear and feeling the boy’s lips lifting on the side of her neck. “What do you think, Tetsurou? Should we order the unlimited meat, vegetables, and iced-tea? Oh, it has free ramen with it, too. That’s a pretty convenient combo.”

“I’m down for that,” Kuroo replied before brushing his lips on Yukimi’s jaw and pointing at the dessert section of the menu, his eyes lighting up at a specific brand of ice-cream offered by the restaurant. “Hey, we should order some ice cream. I’m thinking of buying some Yukimi Daifuku after this.”

“I have a feeling you’d order that,” the medium-haired girl murmured with red cheeks. “They have different kanji, you know? My name and this brand, that is.”

“They still sound the same,” Kuroo told her with a laugh, kissing her once again on the cheek before straightening himself on his seat. “Cookie dough for you, right?” The fact that he discovered this one time during one of their walks home with the volleyball team is still surprising because he always saw Yukimi eating some fruit-flavored treats here and there (mostly during their breaks or spontaneous visits to the convenience store). So when she took out a small tub of cookie dough while casually answering Yaku’s question about the impending exams, Kuroo noted that it really was her favorite flavor of ice cream.

The number of things he still didn’t know about the caramel-eyed girl sitting beside him is appalling.

All of the things he knew about her were all products of sheer observation in the past two years. Never once did he interact with her during their first and second years in high school, except for when they were partnered or grouped for a presentation (the famous line ‘I’ll do what I can to help’ sprung out, only to have Yukimi shoulder all of the parts because she was that reliable of a student with her reputation) — he never knew what Yukimi likes, except for the things coming out of the surface, like her love for reading, cats, Arts, and studying. But one thing he was sure of — he knew how she cursed (quietly) whenever things might not go her way (be it an unsolved problem or miscalculation in the club’s funding), how she held back her smile whenever something good came up in the things she read, or how her eyes sparkled a sweet caramel when she could talk about her dream college.

After they listed the food they ordered to one of the waiters, Yukimi leaned forward to place her chin on one hand as she stared around the restaurant. “This place is kind of nice. I’ve only been here once, I think, but that was after we moved here.”

“Really?” Kuroo inquired, his entire attention on the girl thoughtfully taking in the décor. “The coach sometimes bring us here every time we failed to make it to the nationals if he has money left to treat us, that is. It’s sad, I know, but there’s a sense of satisfaction stuffing your face down while crying,” he trailed off as he eyed the glass of water in front of him, “like a promise that while getting the nutrition that we need, we’ll get there someday stronger than we already are.” Kuroo flashed a smirk at Yukimi, a knowing glint appearing in his eyes. “I think you’re a witness to Nekoma’s breakthrough.” Then, his face became serious as he pursed his lips, “We’ll make the ‘Battle of the Trash Heap’ happen this time, I’m already claiming it.”

“I know you’re going to make it happen, Tetsurou,” Yukimi told him with a smile. “Call it a manager’s intuition.”

“Ever since you came to the club, we’re getting this feeling that you’re the team’s lucky charm,” the messy-haired boy voiced out, his body slightly facing her in their long seat. “We managed to get a set out of one of the powerhouse schools in Tokyo during the previous tourney. It’s not that I’m saying that we were lacking something before you came but when you said yes to our invitation, it feels like you’re a part of the team before you even said hello.”

“Now I’m convinced that you want something because of these compliments.” Yukimi’s eyes narrowed jokingly. “Tell me, is it a kiss? Or a watermelon soda? You don’t have to ruffle up my feathers to get what you want, Tetsurou.”

Kuroo laughed heartily. “I’m telling the truth! Ask Kenma and the others because we all think the same. Even the coaches.”

Her eyes were wide after hearing those words. It was probably the first time Yukimi ever heard of it. To be honest, it felt nice — to know that you belong. All of it, all her years going to school, were spent wishing that people would welcome her with more than the usual smiles and introductions as if they were expecting her to adapt to their ways and be friends in an instant (something she took to heart, covering herself in a cocoon of faux smiles and laughter — a lot of her classmates like it apparently). Call them detachment issues but it was really the anxiety bubbling in her stomach, always acting up right when she entered a new environment. She completely pitied herself every time someone approaches her without any ulterior motive because she would try so hard to meet up to their expectations and it would always backfire to her in the end.

She was determined to live out her last year in high school behind her books and hidden knacks, graduate with the grades that she was proud she earned — but that was until Kuroo hugged her on her birthday and letting her cry out her bottled-up thoughts. If not for Kuroo inviting her to be the club’s manager, Yukimi was sure she could picture herself in her bubble with robotic actions.

It all comes back to Kuroo.

“I’m really glad to be a part of the club,” she whispered in a soft-spoken voice that pinched Kuroo’s heart.

Soft smiles blossomed on both of their faces, coloring the air a warm pink and crinkling the corners of their eyes.

“I’m glad I get to spend year three with you.”

The rest of their lunch was enjoyable in its own way. Kuroo kept cooking the raw meat on the grill and making sure that Yukimi had her fill, piling up the cooked meat and vegetables neatly on her plate. Since all she does is wait for the food, the medium-haired girl took it upon herself to feed Kuroo while he was busy tending to the meat, carefully pinching a good portion of rice and meat between her chopsticks. Of course, since they ordered the unlimited bundle, Kuroo took advantage of it and kept asking for more refills when he knew that Yukimi didn’t eat breakfast (he’s saying something when he didn’t even eat his breakfast, sleeping in on a summer day being his reason). On the other hand, Yukimi was worried if they couldn’t finish it because there was additional payment if there are leftovers but she found herself breathing a sigh of relief when Kuroo finished every single piece of meat she couldn’t stomach anymore.

In the end, they left the restaurant with the aftertaste of mochi and cookie dough on their tongues and interlocked hands swinging between each other.

*

The two of them were browsing a music store after having lunch. It just so happened that Kuroo and Yukimi share a distinct connection when it comes to music, though the latter remembered that the messy-haired boy preferred a different genre than her usual alternative and indie. Just like what Kuroo did for her in their previous date, Yukimi watched Kuroo’s eyes sparkle a distinct golden hue as he took in the music store with utmost interest. Giving the boy his space, the medium-haired girl ran a hand through her hair as she made her way to the vinyl section.

There seems to be a promising collection of classics in front of Yukimi and she contemplated on buying one or two for her mother on her birthday since the older woman mentioned that she was looking for some vinyl to liven up their home. After a few minutes of searching for some artists that she knew produced amazing music, Yukimi looked at the side to where Kuroo was.

Surrounded by guitars of many variations, the caramel-eyed girl was mesmerized at how contented Kuroo appeared to be while running a finger along the frets of an acoustic guitar, his other hand snug inside the pocket of his slacks. With a tilted head, his gaze was thoughtful and he seemed to be in a longing trance — even a hint of liveliness coloring his golden irises. Yukimi was still looking at him from across the store as if they were strangers and not an official couple because she was afraid that the soft look on Kuroo’s face might never see the light of day if she strode beside him unexpectedly. She wanted to engrave that version of the messy-haired boy in her soul because this was different than the spark Kuroo held when it comes to volleyball.

Then, caramel connected with gold as Kuroo perked up and met Yukimi’s gaze. Meters separated them and it was akin to a scene from a coming of age movie, the entirety of the surrounding vanished in an instant. The dark-haired girl’s eyes widened and yet the boy’s half-lidded look never strayed from her, with the latter’s lips parting in wonder. It took Yukimi a few moments to compose herself to leave the vinyl section and make her way to where Kuroo was casually standing.

“Are you planning on buying that guitar?” Yukimi asked when Kuroo took his hand from his pocket to wrap an arm around the girl’s waist, giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

Kuroo hummed, glancing at the black guitar he was just eyeing a while ago. “I’ll have to save up if I’m sure about it. I was just admiring though. I wasn’t thinking of buying it any time soon.”

With the news of Kuroo knowing how to play a guitar ringing inside her head, Yukimi already knew what she would give the boy on his birthday. She would have to start saving if she wanted Kuroo to smile that breathtaking grin.

*

“Kazahana?”

Right now, Yukimi let herself be immersed in her sole purpose of going to the shopping district — buying books.

The couple was now inside one of the many bookstores in the shopping districts, though this is dedicated to new arrivals and stationery. As soon as they entered the paper-scented store, Kuroo watched Yukimi making a beeline to the fiction section of the book aisles. The only thing he could do is shake his head with a smile as he followed his girlfriend (he kept referring her as his girlfriend in his mind — he just couldn’t help it) with his hands inside the pockets of his slacks. As the pile of books on Yukimi’s arms increased that Kuroo had to rush for a small cart, the one person the girl didn’t expect to bump into stood in the same aisle like her, watching her struggle to steady the books on her arms.

“Kagami-san? Well, hello, there.” With a forced smile to hide that she was having a hard time, Yukimi greeted the brown-haired boy, who was dressed quite nicely (the boy’s fashion sense is something, that much she can say about it). “Fancy bumping into you in this bookstore.”

“Yeah,” Romio mumbled as he eyed the books threatening to topple on the floor, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. As if waking up from a daze, he closed his distance with the dark-haired girl, the only things running through his mind was to help the girl steady herself. “Let me help you with that, Kazaha—“

“No need.”

Kuroo took the books from Yukimi’s arms and carefully arranged them in the small cart beside the pastel highlighters, post-its, and pens he wanted to give the girl, keeping in mind that the caramel-eyed girl has a knack for caring for her books, with his gaze never leaving the gawking boy standing a few feet from them. He only wanted to get a cart from the entrance of the store, search and pick out some cute stationery that would suit Yukimi, and right when he returned to Yukimi’s side, there seems to be a thorn lodging itself from out of nowhere, souring his mood in a record. It almost feels like Taketora’s words of wolves never leaving Yukimi’s area became true as he witnessed Romio fidget in his perch.

“Ah, thank you, Tetsurou.” Bless Yukimi for thanking him at that exact moment, was what Kuroo thought, because he was sure his face looked like one of his blocking faces or one of his expressions every time he saw Daishou Suguru. Plus, her smile also helped in calming his nerves down and Kuroo swore he just witnessed what Elysium looked like from Yukimi’s smile. “It’s rare to see you in this part of the shopping district, Kagami-san.” Kuroo had to suppress his laughter at what Yukimi said.

“Oh,” Romio fumbled for his words. “I just thought that I had to pick up some books that the others recommended me.” By others, he meant his friends. Romio’s gaze then transferred on the array of books displayed on the shelves, his hands itching to take a random book and make a dash to the cashier. “I see that you also thought of the same thing.”

“Yeah,” Yukimi answered with an easygoing smile, one shoulder rising in a shrug. “Summer vacation can do that to a person.” She then wrapped her arm around Kuroo’s, her hand soothingly placed on his bicep, something that Kuroo never knew he needed based on his wide eyes and parted lips. The reason why she did that was to let the messy-haired boy know that whatever doubts he had in his mind weren’t true. She doesn’t want Kuroo to be left out in a catching-up conversation that was unexpected (one that she wanted to end). Yukimi then hummed under her breath as she eyed the many books in front of them before taking a novel that she read a couple of weeks. “Here, I recommend this if you like some contemporary plots. It’s not cliché as some novels out there but I promise you that it’s really good.”

The brown-haired boy gawked between Yukimi’s kind smile and outstretched hand holding the said book. “T—Thank you,” Romio murmured under his breath. His eyes then read the title and recognition lit up his face. “I saw this on a post last time and I was planning on reading it, too.” Flicking his attention back on Yukimi, he smiled the smile she once felt extremely charmed with. “Thank you for this, Kazahana.”

Nothing but a mended friendship.

“You’re welcome, Kagami-san,” Yukimi replied, slightly bowing when the said boy excused himself now that he has a good number of books he felt like reading. In the end, there was a sense of fulfillment inside her as she watched the brown-haired boy turn around to pay for his books. She kind of felt proud of herself that she managed to talk to him without sounding awkward at all, unlike those many attempts at a conversation after his rejection. However, there was an ominous aura drifting from the person beside her, making her chuckle when she heard the slight grumbling. “Alright, Tetsurou,” Yukimi looked up at Kuroo with a smile but her eyebrows furrowed at the boy’s scrunched up face, “Hey, are you alright?”

Kuroo glanced at her before quickly turning his attention to the books inside their cart. “Yeah.” He tried smiling to ease the furrow on her brows but it appeared as though he was flashing the same forced smile he would give to the girls confessing to him.

No matter how he looked like it, he can’t help but think that maybe Yukimi never reciprocated the way he showed his feelings — it looked like the girl was still so out of reach for him. From the way she looked at that Kagami boy with that crinkled smile he loves so much, there wasn’t anything that he could do but watch from the sidelines as he mulled over that he couldn’t nullify the three years Yukimi has been in love with the Kagami boy.

“I’m yours, Tetsurou.”

But the way Yukimi looked at him with the softest yet glowing linger of love, there wasn’t anything he could do but stare at how alluring and radiant she is. For sure, Kuroo didn’t mind that they were in a public place where some of the schoolmates might see them, he didn’t mind when he captured Yukimi’s lips with his, pouring all the warmth and affection in a single mind-numbing kiss as his eyebrows furrowed. He never paid any attention to their surroundings as he pulled away, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed on Yukimi’s stunned expression, his voice shaking as he breathed the words he never knew would erase all the doubts in his mind—

“You’re finally mine.” A crooked grin and pressed foreheads. “God, Hana, I’m yours as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note that this is unedited so pardon for my mistakes :>


	32. MOMENTS THAT TRANSCEND TIME.

“Chance ball!”

“Yakkun!”

“Got it! Kenma!”

“… Tora.”

“Alright!!”

“Their receives are amazing like what the rumors say,” a bench member of the opposing team murmured with wide eyes as he watched the ball drop on their side of the court, their players forming a campfire from Taketora’s spike. “That’s what you expect from a powerhouse school.”

“Plus,” another member interjected, his eyes not on the practice game but on Nekoma’s bench, specifically on a dark-haired girl concentrating on the match. “Their manager is a beauty like the rumors said, too. Who wants to bet she doesn’t have a boyfriend? Because judging from those looks, no one would be worthy enough for her.”

The said girl was sitting regally on the bench beside Nekoma’s coaches, her face forward and set in a serious countenance that showed how immersed and observant she is of the practice match, her hands clutching a notebook. Her face was visible to the whole gymnasium since she decided to style it in a loose braid, with her bangs framing the sides of her face and meeting her eyelashes in the softest touch. The only thing that the boys saw from her is her side-profile — which is quite breathtaking as the rest of her. The next minute, both boys from the opposing bench watched with wide eyes as Nekoma’s manager smiled for the first time since the start of the practice match (the boys’ faces forming blushes) so they followed where her gaze was set on.

“Don’t tell me,” the second boy murmured as he incredulously stared at Nekoma’s scary captain playfully blowing a kiss at the dark-haired manager after stopping the opponent’s spike.

The first boy smirked. “I’ll take that bet.”

“Oh, no!” the latter wailed. “My pocket money!”

“You have your mouth to blame for that. I swear you’re always saying something without thinking about it first.”

The chirping of the cicadas and the blistering heat of Tokyo were prevalent as Nekoma continued having their practice match with Asuka High, a promising school specializing in serves that earned quite an audience back in the previous interscholastic tournament. They requested to have a practice match with them since the preliminaries for the Tokyo qualifiers in the spring InterHigh are fast approaching and they needed intel on one of the best receivers in the metropolis of Tokyo, at least that’s what Yukimi believed. She felt that the opposing team was holding back what they have in store and instead opting to observe Nekoma’s plays. With a nonchalant façade, Nekoma’s manager took note that the opposing players weren’t serious at all and perceived the practice match to be something they had to internalize.

Those were her thoughts as she handed the towels and water bottles to the players. Yukimi was in a daze as each member thanked her in their individual ways (with Taketora and the first-years vibrantly shouting her nickname, Yaku with his cheeky smile, Kai silently yet genuinely, and Kenma and Fukunaga with little smiles on their faces). It just so happened that Asuka High called for a time-out and huddled close along with their coach, some of their players giving discreet glances at their team. Right now, as the others had their dose of water, Yukimi was staring into space as she tried to formulate words on how to tell her club members and coach what she noticed from Asuka High.

“Hey, everything alright, Hana?” Kuroo asked while taking a sip from his water bottle, an eyebrow raised as he roamed his eyes on the girl’s face for any sign of discomfort. All he got was a concentrated look on the hardwood floor.

“Uhm,” Yukimi muttered, glancing at Nekomata as if asking for permission to speak her mind, to which the older man nodded with a huge grin. Facing the anticipating members, the medium-haired girl told them with a steady voice, “Something is lacking in the way Asuka High was playing in the whole set. I’m not saying this to spite or ridicule them but the way they were playing seems easygoing for a team who got into the top sixteen in our prefecture. And I was getting the feeling that their players might be taking in every mannerism and technique we have since our team has been taking this practice match more seriously than them even at the start of the first set.” She then took a glance at the opposing team with furrowed brows, inconspicuously watching their every move before sheepishly meeting the boys’ eyes. “I might be wrong on this, though.”

Kenma shook his head lightly. “I think you’re right, Yukimi-san,” he voiced out, also side-eyeing the players of Asuka High, who were having a huddle of their own while giving Nekoma glances that might have stopped at Yukimi multiple times. Turning back to his team with an eye-roll that showed how much he is used to people reacting that way to his friend, he continued, “It feels like I’ve been watched and analyzed.” He then shivered slightly with a scrunched up face. “I don’t like the feeling.”

“Pretty sure that’s what our opponents always feel when they’re playing with us,” Taketora deadpanned with a light laugh. Then, he patted Kenma on the back with a booming laugh. “It’s a good thing you get to feel it, too, Kenma! That way, you’ll be less creepy in our future games!”

The two-toned setter glared at his fellow second-year, grunting at Taketora’s pats (the guy is a spiker and every pat is like a hard slap on the back), with Fukunaga inserting himself between the two boys randomly to prevent another candid fight between their members. It doesn’t help since Kenma stretched his arm in front of the dark-haired wing-spiker to reach Taketora, with the latter slapping the setter’s hand from him, resulting in another game of slapping each other’s hands. The silent wing-spiker between the two only sighed in resignation, lightly looking up at the ceiling as if asking for the deities to grant him strength and patience. The scene was a usual thing to them because Yaku even placed a bet on who would win this time and Kuroo taking him on and placing his trust in his childhood friend.

“Why you little shit—! That’s unfair! You can’t just stop my hand and then slap it consequently!”

“You know what, Tora? I don’t play by the rules. Especially yours.”

“This cheeky brat! There!” A growl from the ace and a huff from the other side of the conversation consequently added to the noise. “Ha, that’s what you get for being unfit!”

“… What does that to do with slapping hands? I play games using them, they’re the only fit part in my body.”

“Yamamoto, don’t lose now! Getting ice cream is at stake here!”

“Go, Kenma! Make me proud!”

“So what are we going to do to have them play with us as they mean it?” Lev asked innocently, his head tilting to the right like a cat, shifting everyone’s attention from the bickering second-years to his green-eyed gaze. The first-year’s face contorted into a comical angry one, his fist raised in the air and his eyes dangerously shining. “It’s like they’re mocking us or something and I don’t like it! So we have to just bring out their best!”

“I agree with Lev!” Inuoka cheered beside the silver-haired middle blocker. “We first have to make them stop them from being lazy. That way, we’ll have an amazing practice match to improve our skills!”

“Thank you for bringing the conversation back on the practice game, you two!” Kai lightheartedly announced with the usual kind smile that he was known for, with the vice-captain relieved that somebody had the initiative to keep everybody on track. Being the vice-captain of the club meant that he should have the sense of keeping his fellow members on the ground, which is somewhat his responsibility, seeing as their captain joined in on the fun all the time. “For that, you get to be treated to ice cream later by the rest of the third-years.”

“Oi, Kai! I didn’t agree to that!” Yaku shouted beside the dark-skinned boy. “You’re robbing me and you perfectly know how hard it is to get an allowance for the summer practices from my mom. I had to kneel one time and I don’t intend to do it again if she’ll only give me so little money!”

“You should be grateful that your mom is giving you pocket money, Yaku-san. Others are even working part-time to—“

“Don’t give me that crap, Lev! I won’t hesitate to double your receiving practices!”

At the comfortable chaos ensuing in front of Yukimi like a disaster she was willing to take on, she couldn’t help but let out a light laugh, twinkling and blending on the chatters made by the other members in the entirety of the time-out. This was one of those rare moments during a practice match or any game they were going through — the whole team was having fun regardless of the impending presence brought by their opponent. Her eyes were closed as she giggled beside Kuroo, who looked over to her laughing form after witnessing Kenma shifting into a full-on irked mode, with the dark-haired boy’s lips forming into a half-smile as he saw how funny all of these were to their manager. Yukimi straightened herself as she wiped a fake tear from her eye, voicing out, “A little fun here and there before the big tournament, huh? I kind of like this scenario — everyone bickering and letting loose during a match. It’s,” she trailed off for a moment as she tilted her head slightly to the right, “satisfying to watch, to be honest.”

Kuroo wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders, squeezing her reassuringly and pulling her to his side. “Well, would you look at that?” He then nodded to where the first-years were formulating on ways to get the other team on the edge of their seats and to where the second-years were calming down from their bickering. “The children are oozing with so much youth that it got me thinking that it’s all thanks to our parenting.” Kuroo ducked a little to plant his lips on the crown of Yukimi’s head, making the caramel-eyed girl laugh with an eye close, the dark-haired boy burying his face on the girl’s hair and inhaling the sweet scent of her cherry blossom scented shampoo. “I can’t wait to grow old and watch these youthful kids prosper in their own paths.”

“You sound like an old man, Tetsurou,” Yukimi laughed, playfully pushing him away and hearing a whine from the boy right after. “But I guess I can put up with that.”

“That right there, missy, is really unfair.”

“Why?”

“You’re making me fall in love with you more.”

After calming down and nearly slapping Kuroo’s face for making her mind riot with unsuppressed emotions, Yukimi cleared her throat with red cheeks, with Kuroo slightly behind her, chuckling away apologetically (which might not be the case since it was always his mission to rile up Yukimi any chance he gets). This time, the other members looked at her expectantly, their eyes sparkling with the heartfelt resolve she loved about them and waiting for any word of encouragement from their beloved manager. Nekomata looked on and observed with his hands behind his back, genuinely curious as to what means should his team execute just to have an amazing practice match. Yukimi only smiled with a hint of confidence that surprised the others. It shocked them because all they receive from the effervescent girl were soft smiles filled with warmth, so seeing her flash a smirk that was so out of character for their sweet manager — it is a new sight.

“Frustrate them.”

Raised eyebrows met her gaze. With her smile growing, Yukimi continued—

“To the point where they can show their true colors to you. Follow their example and observe them for a while, that way, they couldn’t help but make this practice match more exciting.”

*

The medium-haired girl wearing the standard uniform of being Nekoma’s manager shuffled inside the genkan as she took off her sneakers. Running a hand through her hair and stopping herself once she realized she had it in a braid, Yukimi called out to the hallways leading to their living room and open kitchen, “I’m home,” knowing that there might never be an answer this time since her mother was busy with paperwork for her upcoming business trip, which will be less than a week from now. As she was taking off her backpack while making her way to their living room, the sound of something chopping made her stop, chilling her veins in nervousness. Was there a burglar? Oh, God, she doesn’t have a bat or any object that she can use for self-defense. Well, her bag is slightly heavy so that would have to do.

“Welcome home, Yuki-chan!”

From that, Yukimi placed a palm on her pounding chest and sighed in relief. Schooling her features into a wide smile, Yukimi quickly took off her backpack and bounced to the kitchen where her mother stood in front of their stove with chopped vegetables decorating their counter, the cooked rice cooling inside the rice cooker. Now that Yukimi noticed it, it was nearing dinnertime when practice ended, with the game spanning the course for the whole afternoon since the team managed to rile up the opponent team by spiking on their captain’s face (accidentally was what Taketora told them since the other guy just so happened to be where his usual trajectory was — Yukimi bowed a couple of times to avoid any fight). Turning back on the kitchen counter, Yukimi picked up that they were probably having some hamburger steak for dinner, some potato stew, and boiled vegetables.

“Let me help you, Mom,” the medium-haired girl told Natsumi, placing her red jacket on the back of one chair in their dining area and replacing it with a pink apron. She then placed herself beside the older woman and started on the hamburger steak since Natsumi was currently making both the stew and miso soup.

“Thank you, Yuki-chan,” Natsumi replied with a smile before tasting the miso soup. Humming under her breath, the older woman hovered a spoon in front of her daughter, who placed a lock of her hair behind her ear to taste the soup. “Good?”

“Mm-hmm,” the dark-haired girl nodded, shaping the ground meat into patties and rolling them into the bread crumb mixture her mother probably made beforehand. Sighing in contentment when she smelled the different spices, Yukimi felt her stomach grumble. It was a while since she had a proper dinner. All she ate were just instant ramen, occasionally with egg or cheese, or even dishes with eggs because even though she knew her way into the kitchen, Yukimi still has some responsibilities lying around and she had no time to make a perfectly balanced meal. Oh, and the fact that their pantry wasn’t always stocked to the brim posed a problem now and then.

“You should wash up first, sweetie,” Natsumi suggested, glancing at her daughter in understanding. “Dinner will be on the table once you’re done.”

“Sure, Mom.” Yukimi then kissed her mother on the cheek before taking off the apron and placing it on one of the hooks lining the kitchen walls. “I’ll be down real quick.” She stopped for a moment and turned back to her mother smiling as she cooked. “Mom, what about you? You should wash up as well. I’ll keep an eye on the stove while you take your time.”

“Hmm?” Natsumi looked back at her daughter’s worried stare, to which she only waved a hand at, her face displaying a reassuring smile. Beautiful, her mother is beautiful and it was warming her chest yet pinching at the same time at the thought of her father telling her that beautiful things always find ways to be erased. “Oh.” From that, Yukimi shook off from her reverie and faced her mother’s smile once again. “I already washed up when I came home earlier. You go ahead, Yuki-chan, I’ll manage here.”

“Okay, Mom.”

And with that, Yukimi retrieved her jacket from the dining table chair and her bag from the couch and then went up the stairs to her room. Once inside the four walls of her bedroom, the medium-haired girl took a matching pajama set from her closet and proceeded to take a bath (even though the gymnasium was such a spacious area and it wasn’t even that hot in there, Yukimi still felt sticky after exposing herself to the summer heat). Her mind was occupied with studying for the upcoming college examinations and maintaining her class standing when she noticed that she took a while inside the bathroom while washing her hair and body. Hastily drying herself and putting on her pajamas, Yukimi heard her phone ring when she passed by her room.

“Mom?” Hearing a faint ‘yeah?’ and the clatter of plates, Yukimi continued, “I got a call, can you wait for me for just a few minutes, Mom?”

“Sure, sweetie!”

Yukimi entered her room and dug her hand in the crevices of her bag, her phone now in her clutches. The vibrating surface of the gadget illuminated her visage as she checked the caller, her eyebrows raising in mild surprise as she slid her finger to answer the call. With a smile, Yukimi greeted, “Hello, Daichi. You’re not the type to call.” A laugh came from the other end of the call while Yukimi plopped on her mattress. “So what’s up?”

“Hi, Yuki-chan. How are you there?”

The medium-haired girl fiddled with her duvet as she hummed with a smile. “Everything’s fine. Nekoma has been doing well since the end of the training camp and I am proud to say that the team improved so much.” Her voice then possessed a teasing tilt. “Are you sure you don’t want to take that offer of sharing some secrets about Karasuno? Nothing big, I swear, you can phrase them in the vaguest manner you could do.”

Daichi chuckled, the rustle of sheets can be heard through the speakers, probably the boy lying down on his bed after a day of practice. “How about something better?”

“I’m listening,” the dark-haired girl hummed as she looked at her ceiling, the remnants of the glow-in-the-dark planets and stars stickers she bought during her first year in Tokyo glowing alongside her desk lamp.

“How about you come to Miyagi and watch our game in the preliminaries? I mean, if you’re up for staying in our house for three nights,” Daichi voiced out hesitantly, as if afraid that what he was doing could be wrong on so many levels. This caught Yukimi’s attention because first of all, Daichi never invited her to watch his games since they were kids (it was always her who would tell him she would come to his tournaments) and second, this is the only chance she’ll watch Daichi play again in a real game other than the usual practice matches and the only time their schedules coincided with one another — summer vacation and all. Waiting for her childhood friend to continue, the girl’s caramel gaze fluttered through her bookshelf, satisfied that it was becoming full by the day thanks to a certain boy with crooked smiles. “This could be a way for you to get more information about our team and you get to catch up with me as a bonus!”

Lighthearted laughter was shared between the two as Yukimi ran a hand through her wet hair. “Now that I think about it,” she trailed in faux contemplation, “this is the best way for me to gather information about our fated rivals _and_ meeting up with Kiyoko-san.”

“Hey, what about me?!”

“Oh, you, too,” Yukimi teased. “I think Mom will be excited to hear that I’ll be visiting you guys since she will be having a business trip the exact dates of your preliminaries. She’ll be over the moon if she finds out you even invited me. So that you don't get false hope from me, I’ll be asking Mom first, and then I’ll text you later or tomorrow if I fall asleep early tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan— _Nii-san, is that Yuki-nee-chan?! You promised me I can talk to her this time, too!_ Okay, okay! Stop climbing on my back, Hina! Look at Hiroto, he’s behaving accordingly, you can do it, too, Hina.” Two childlike voices flittered through the speakers, most likely belonging to children in primary school age. Now that Yukimi thought about it, Daichi’s little siblings were six around the time she left Miyagi. She couldn’t help but smile widely at the excited squeals she got from her phone. “Hello, Yuki-nee-chan! Come visit here as soon as you can! — _What do you say to a person if you want to do something for you?_ — Oh, please visit us here! Hiro-chan wants you to visit, too!”

“Hi, Hina-chan, are you doing well in school? Are you eating your meals alright? Don’t tell me you’ve been fighting with Hiro-chan since the last time I’ve called.” Yukimi barraged her with playful questions, satisfied with hearing the younger girl giggle through the other end of the call.

“Yes, I am doing well in school and yes, I am eating alright even my vegetables! And no, I’m not fighting with Hiro-chan this time,” the young girl answered the teenager’s questions perfectly, her smile so big it could be heard in her voice. “You know, nee-chan, I watched a new show today and I also followed your instructions on how to study on my own!”

“So how was it? Did it work?” The smile on the teenager’s face never stopped, her chest warming at the kid listening to her advice — she almost wished she had a little sibling as well. “Based on your excited tone, I take it you did well?”

“You bet!” Hina cheered with utmost youthful excitement and Yukimi could see her raising her arms and Daichi catching the phone midair, judging from the slight bump she got from the call and the familiar resigned sigh of a stressed Daichi. “ _Hina, don’t just drop my phone_! — Oops, sorry, nii-san. Ne, nee-san, I got first place in my class because of your instructions! And Mom, Dad, nii-san, and even Hiro-chan celebrated it. I also forgot that Hiro-chan got first place in his class as well because I told him what you told me — I’ll give the phone to Hiro-chan right now!”

The dark-haired girl chuckled under her breath and waited for the little girl to give the call to her twin brother. “Okay, Hina-chan,” she murmured under her breath, standing up from her bed and with padded footsteps, stopped in front of her bookshelf. Running her fingers on the spines of the book, Yukimi thought for a moment on what book should she read next. As her finger stopped on a certain fantasy novel Kuroo picked up for her, the caramel-eyed girl heard shuffling from the other end of the call and a light clearing of a throat. Yukimi took out the book from the shelf while greeting Daichi’s little brother, “Hello, Hiro-chan, how is our little champ doing?”

Being twins, Hina and Hiroto grew up being clingy to Daichi since their eldest sibling raised them while their parents worked just to have a stable life for their children. The two of them were born when Daichi was nine years old, two months before his tenth birthday, and Yukimi had to help the boy juggle between being a member of his volleyball club in primary school and being a responsible older brother to his siblings. Apparently, because of this, both of his siblings developed quite an attachment to him, with Hina being more vocal about her affection for Daichi and Hiro clinging wordlessly on his sister. Their opposing personalities were what Yukimi noticed as they grew up and entered first grade — Hina being more sociable than her younger twin brother while Hiro kept to himself most of the time even in their home.

“H—Hello, nee-chan,” Hiroto whispered through the phone, instantly putting a smile on Yukimi’s face. “I—I’m doing fine.”

It wasn’t also a secret that Hiroto developed a tiny crush on Yukimi the moment he had a grasp of his surroundings. Daichi laughed until he hurt his stomach when she came over to his house countless times, with Hiroto red in the face and embarrassed at every interaction with the teenage girl. It started when they were in their second year of middle school and Daichi always used this opportunity to tease the girl.

“That’s good to hear, Hiro-chan,” Yukimi smiled. “Be prepared because I’ll be coming to visit you and we’ll talk the whole day. You can tell me the new series you’ve been watching, the mecha ones Daichi told me about last time. How does that sound, Hiro-chan?”

“Un,” Hiro murmured, his voice soft yet filled with anticipation and childish excitement. “I’ll look forward to that, nee-chan. Please come safe and sound.”

Yukimi nearly squealed at how adorable Hiroto is but she bit her lip and suppressed it with a smile. “Of course, Hiro-chan! Promise me that you’ll be waiting for me with a big hug?”

“Yeah.” Then the phone was handed to Daichi once again, as it was heard from the speakers, the sound of a door closing following soon after. “Hey, Yuki-chan? I’m sorry, they probably sensed I was in a call with you so they burst inside my room. I think they were even listening outside my room to have the perfect chance in butting in on the call.”

“It’s alright, Daichi,” the medium-haired girl reassured with a light laugh.

“About you coming here, you can also invite Kuroo-san along. I wouldn’t mind rooming with him for a couple of days. The twins will also be ecstatic once they find out you’ll be sleeping in their room during your stay here. Plus, maybe Kuroo-san will enjoy watching Miyagi’s preliminaries since he can sight on the teams worthy enough to be in the nationals — you know, for future reference.”

“I’ll tell him about it,” Yukimi answered with a nod, even though her friend couldn’t see her reaction. It would be nice to have Kuroo tag along in this little trip but Yukimi remembered the boy casually mentioning that he was looking forward to something while they were boarding the train ride home. “He mentioned something that might have overlapped with Miyagi’s prelims, something about an annual trip with Kenma’s family so Tetsurou coming along could be pretty blurry, but I’ll try to ask him if I can.”

“Okay, just tell me regardless of his answer, alright?” Then, a call from somewhere on Daichi’s side of the call reverberated, making the boy stop for a second to answer along the lines of ‘I’ll be down in a minute’ before acknowledging Yukimi again. “We’ll be eating dinner in a few. If you’re going to eat dinner, too, eat well and don’t choke on your food when you’re eating too fast.”

“That was one time!”

Daichi chuckled. “I know. Stay safe, Yuki-chan. Text me any time and I hope you have a good night.”

“Bye, Daichi.”

The call ended with both sides feeling contented that they talked to each other despite it being through a phone call. Just like that, Yukimi decided that she will be reading the book she picked from her bookshelf, placing both her phone and the novel on her desk after standing up from her bed. The caramel-eyed girl turned to the door to move back downstairs into a night of family dinners and warm laughter, with it ending in a light note when Natsumi gave Yukimi permission to stay with Daichi’s family for three nights and days.

That night, the girl of eternal sunshine buried herself in the bound pages of her book, living off of the words carefully written on the scented paper, with the warm glow of her desk lamp illuminating behind her and the tendrils of her lavender-scented candle encasing her in warmth as her alarm clock welcomed another day.

*

“Happy birthday, Yakkun!”

“Happy birthday, Yaku-san!”

The day after was a free day for Nekoma’s volleyball club because Nekomata allowed them to celebrate Yaku’s birthday. The libero invited everyone in the team to his house, save for the coaches since they want the kids to have fun on their own during one of the members’ special day, and planned a small get-together with an array of food. When the Yakus’ living room gradually became occupied with teenagers, the quiet house turned into a place filled with pleasant noise — the members conversing with each other about the gifts they got for their demonic libero or the food some of them brought for the joyous celebration of legality (mostly Fukunaga and Yukimi since the two of them conversed of bringing a dish to Yaku’s day). It was only a tiny thing to have — people gathering for your birthday, but for Yaku, it was everything in the world, especially having Yukimi giving him her gift.

“Yes!” Yaku exclaimed once he opened the manager’s gift, bundles of clothes and sports gear decorating his lap. One time, he mentioned that he was running out of kneepads because for some reason, he kept losing them and he usually wore them out without noticing it. He nearly jumped from seat to hug Yukimi across from him but seeing as Kuroo had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, the shorter boy opted to grin his widest smile as gratitude to the thoughtful girl. “Thank you, Yukimi-chan! I was needing it the other day and you’re really heaven-sent for gifting these to me.” Then, he roamed his eyes on the many button-downs and pairs of pants and shorts before fake-crying in front of his members. “I also appreciate your giving me stylish clothes! Yukimi-chan is such an angel for blessing my non-existent fashion sense!”

“If you would just follow my advice on putting on good clothes, Hana wouldn’t have to buy those for you,” Kuroo reminded with a half-smile. “And for the record, I’m the one who bought those, not Hana.” The messy-haired boy shrugged one shoulder as he affectionately squeezed Yukimi’s shoulders. “We decided to have our gifts packed in one.”

“I’m sorry for raising your hopes, Yaku-san,” Yukimi apologized with a smile, her hand fiddling with Kuroo’s free one on her lap, with the dark-haired boy trying hard not to burst in a full-blown smile at the little gestures Yukimi did that sent his heart racing in his chest. “Tetsurou insisted that we have our gifts packed together for,” she trailed off as she remembered what the boy said to her when they were buying their gifts earlier, glancing at the golden-eyed boy at the corner of her eyes, “personal purposes that Tetsurou doesn’t want to disclose.”

Then, Fukunaga emerged from the kitchen with mittens covering his hands. “Yukimi-san, it’s done.”

The said girl nodded with a smile, patting Kuroo’s thigh while murmuring that she will back in a few minutes before following the silent second-year to where Yaku’s mom bustled inside the kitchen, the older woman’s face brightening at the sight of the girl since she has more hands to help in the final batch of dishes for the birthday party. The manager graciously accepted the spoon meant for tasting and complimented Yaku’s mom for making such delicious gourmet, Fukunaga flashing a thumbs-up to the older woman as a sign of approval. The rest of the members looked on to the open kitchen and stared as Fukunaga and Yukimi got complimented for knowing their way in the kitchen.

Taketora scoffed, the topic turning back on the rooster of the room. “He just wants to rub it in our faces that he’s dating the best girl in the prefecture!”

“Yeah!” Lev voiced out, scaring the tabby cat nestling at the rug beside their feet, with the pet opening its eyes lazily and directing it to the silver-haired boy with a glare. He noticed it and his face quickly morphed into that of an apologetic one as he murmured, “Oops, sorry,” before facing his members with sparkling eyes reserved for admiring the only girl in their circle. “As much at this was already said by some of us but Kuroo-san is really lucky to have _kirei_ -senpai as his girlfriend. I mean, if I could date someone that amazing, talented, and beautiful, I’d never _ever_ hurt her! So, Kuroo-san, if you think of hurting _kirei-_ senpai, you’d better watch your back!”

“I can’t believe I just agreed with Lev right now,” Yaku murmured, sighing in his seat.

Kai, who decided to stay with the others instead of the pair inside his friend’s kitchen, smiled in understanding at the libero’s sentence, his hand already patting a reassuring rhythm on the shorter boy’s back. “There, there.”

Kuroo stopped staring at the caramel-eyed girl, who was occasionally waving at him, and slowly turned his head to the others sitting comfortably in the living room. The remaining club members all held shock in their faces when their captain showed a side of him that can only be seen on the court, especially if it was a tight game. His eyes were its usual half-lidded state yet it displayed earnestness that they noticed was always directed at their precious manager. Kuroo asked a rhetorical that rendered his club members speechless, “Who said I was going to hurt her?” as he fiddled with his finger, his eyes glancing at Yukimi with a wistful gaze. “I have no plans of hurting her. In fact, I’m the one willing to be in pain for her.” Then, he realized what he said in front of many people who respected him as a strong captain before erupting in full blush, his face burning to the tips of his ears.

“You’re embarrassing, Kuro,” Kenma told him with a pitying expression.

“I know,” Kuroo whined behind his hand since he covered up his face to stop his members from gawking. “I meant it, though.”

“I know you do because if not,” Kenma narrowed his eyes at his childhood friend, “I’ll be the one making your life a living hell.”

Chills ran down Kuroo’s spine at the intensity of Kenma’s creepy stare. “That should be my line!”

“Now that I think about it,” Shibayama voiced out from beside Teshiro and Inuoka, a hand placed under his chin, “Kuroo-san’s the only third-year who’s not eighteen in the volleyball club.”

“Yeah,” Kai chuckled. “Both Yukimi-san and I were born in the same month — April. So that makes Kuroo the youngest from the four of us.”

Kuroo groaned a little, his mind flashing to that time when he realized that the said girl was one of the older sides of their year level, being born at the start of the school year. He quite liked it because that was his ideal gap in relationships when he started middle school but now that he chose to be the one constantly keeping tabs on the girl he grew to love, Kuroo wanted to dote on her just like what he always did since the start of their relationship, heck, even before that. “Please don’t remind me that Hana is older than me by a few months because I’d like to think that I’ll be the one taking care of her.”

“Again, you’re embarrassing.”

“Shut it, Kenma!”

Minutes became hours and hours turned into days. One day, they were laughing and eating until their stomachs nearly burst from the amount of food, and the next, they were practicing to make up for that one day they were out of shape. And now, Yukimi stood in the station, her carrier travel bag firmly held in one hand, her phone and wallet on the other, and her small backpack for her personal things being tidied by Kuroo. The caramel-eyed girl was waiting for her train to arrive while Kuroo went with her to send her off, with the latter boarding another train in later hours with his family. Once Yukimi felt that Kuroo was satisfied with looking for any crease on her clothes, she turned around to meet his furrowed stare. “I’m going to be alright, Tetsurou,” she assured, wrapping her free hand around the boy’s waist, with Kuroo instantly placing a hand on her cheek, his thumb mindlessly caressing her cheekbone. “It’s only for a few days, I’ll be back in no time at all.”

“Promise me that you’ll stay safe there,” he murmured, planting his forehead against hers. “God, I just wish our annual trip was set on a later date so that I can come with you.”

“Hey, I’ll still come back to you,” Yukimi reminded, standing on her tip-toes, meeting Kuroo halfway in a deep kiss. She can hear both of their hearts pounding at the same beat as their lips danced along with it. It was after a few seconds that they pulled away from each other and Yukimi found herself mesmerized with Kuroo’s half-lidded eyes, his lips slightly pouting as if wanting another kiss from her. When she lowered her eyes to his lips, Yukimi couldn’t help but blush when she noticed that they were shining and exuding a watermelon fragrance from her lip gloss. The dark-haired girl’s eyed widened the next moment, her face turning into a warmer and more prominent shade of red, since Kuroo subtly licked his lips with a half-smile, humming in satisfaction at the familiar flavor. “If you do that, I might not go.”

A mischievous grin split Kuroo’s face. “Then, watch me do it all over again.” He dipped his head to capture Yukimi’s lips with his own, his tongue slightly running over her lips and smirking at the melodious gasp from the dark-haired girl. Taking this as a chance, Kuroo deepened the kiss until he felt their tongues brush against each other and stopping when he felt Yukimi releasing a shaky breath. Her face was flushed and their pants intermingled with each other as their bodies lacked the space that they had minutes before. “I’ll miss you but I know Sawamura will keep an eye on you so that lessened my worry. Come back to me, Hana.”

With a breathtaking smile, Yukimi answered, “Always,” before kissing him on the cheek and boarding the train that will take her into a reminiscent ride of nostalgia.


	33. THE FIRST DAY.

It was a great surprise to the rest of Karasuno when Daichi arrived with a very familiar girl boring the brightest smile they had seen in the short minutes they were waiting for their captain. Yukimi only waved at each one of them, with her childhood friend purposely standing in front of her to prevent certain members of their team to bombard her with unnecessary questions, Daichi’s eyes set in a glare as he saw Nishinoya and Tanaka inch a few steps to the girl. Nobody expected the medium-haired manager of Nekoma to come all the way to Miyagi just to witness a single day of preliminaries. Clad in a pastel blue chiffon top with ruffled hems, her shoulders and collarbone on display, and fitted denim jeans, Yukimi was a sight for sore eyes who graced Karasuno’s eyes as a fleeting fairy meant for blessing them.

“You didn’t have to come with me this early, Yuki-chan,” Daichi leaned his head back a little to whisper to his friend, his eyes still on the rambunctious second-years. “You could have slept some more and text me if you’re on the way to the venue. I know Hina and Hiroto tired you out last night.”

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes with a smile, playfully shoving Daichi’s right shoulder. “It’s my choice that I wanted to come with you,” she told him lightheartedly. “Plus, the fare is free if I go with you. Do you really expect me to play for my train ride?”

Looking at the side, Yukimi accidentally met eyes with Tsukishima, who was hoping for the older girl to not look in his direction and immediately brightened at the sight of the stingy first year. Feeling a sense of connection to the blonde middle blocker just like how she bonded with Nekoma’s underclassmen, the caramel-eyed girl vibrantly smiled and waved a ‘hello’ at the tall boy. Of course, Tsukishima couldn’t help but wave back with pink cheeks, making Yukimi chuckle under her breath. Then, cobalt blues beckoned her and Yukimi found herself in front of Kiyoko. With a heartfelt smile, she greeted, “Kiyoko-san.”

The bespectacled girl returned Yukimi’s smile with a small grin of her own. “Yukimi-chan. I’m really glad you can come and watch today.”

“It would be an honor to witness the famed murder of crows play,” Yukimi replied, her eyes sparkling at the thought of watching Karasuno’s plays, knowing that they are dubbed as a team specializing in offense from what Nekomata told her. Excitement would also be an understatement in Yukimi’s eyes right now. Not only could she watch Daichi be a solid foundation in Karasuno’s receives but she was also excited in seeing Tsukishima apply every single thing Kuroo taught him. Looking down at some of the bags on the ground, the dark-haired girl placed a lock of stray hair behind her ear before glancing at Kiyoko’s wide eyes, “Can I help you with the bags? It would be too tiring if you carry all of these.”

“Uh—Sure, Yukimi-chan,” Kiyoko quietly murmured, simultaneously ducking with the other girl to place the bags on each of their shoulders. Straightening herself, the blue-eyed girl fixed a small smile on her lips. “Let’s go? Do you want to sit next to me or with Sawamura? We can sit on the back seats along with Hitoka-chan.” She then pointed at the petite blonde visibly doing breathing techniques beside Yamaguchi, who was shivering like a leaf, his freckled face pale. “Though, I don’t think she’s feeling fine at the moment.”

“I think I have something that can help.”

Yukimi rummaged through her small backpack, taking out her spare peppermint-scented ointment, snug inside her first-aid pouch. There are hidden coves inside the said girl’s backpack at times. There are instances where she brought her first-aid kit (also her essential) pouch wherever she goes. One never knows if a scratch might be visible after an accidental trip on the sidewalk or if hyperventilation happened in the middle of public space. Yukimi just liked to be prepared — also, probably brought by her short time in being Nekoma’s manager. After having the small bottle of ointment in her hand, the caramel-eyed girl turned to Kiyoko with a smile that reached her eyes.

Kiyoko nodded in gratitude, her eyes crinkling at the corners at the duration of her smile, which never ceased to be painted on her lips whenever her friend comes around. It was established in the bespectacled girl’s mind that Yukimi had that effect around people and wondered that this is probably one of the reasons why Nekoma’s scary captain fell in love with her in the first place. Like what Hitoka said, Yukimi is the personification of first love, and the rain of cherry blossoms during spring’s first breath. “I think that would help Hitoka-chan a lot, Yukimi-chan,” she finally said, walking beside her casually dressed friend.

The two exchanged smiles with each other, feeling the string connecting the two of them becoming tauter as each step resounded on the parking lot, their destination of star hair-ties and jittery nerves looking relieved at the pair’s presence.

While Kiyoko and Yukimi stopped in front of Yachi, Daichi’s gaze turned softer as he witnessed his best friend welcome other people in her universe, something that she was unaware of doing the whole she started smiling genuinely. Whoever said that his most treasured friend was just a drifting planet? Hell, she is more than that — rather, Yukimi is the heart of her solar system. It was just last night when he overheard Yukimi talk to Kuroo on the phone as he went back to his room from a bath and just the sniffles from the girl told everything of what they were talking about. Of course, he felt compelled to enter his room and offer her kind words but knowing that Kuroo is trying his very best to make her feel whole, Daichi could only smile and went downstairs to fetch two glasses of banana milk and let the couple have their heart-to-heart talk.

The girl who cried to him every night about her hollowed-out chest during middle school became someone who filled the holes in others, her days coloring the brightest colors from a watercolor set. Daichi prayed that it would last long.

The dark-brown haired boy then shook his head out of nowhere, scaring Sugawara and Asahi beside him, and erased every bit of negativity in his mind as he faced forward with a determined visage. His eyes then met with Yukimi’s own, with the latter grinning from ear to ear and raising her fist slightly in a silent wish of good luck. With his friend being a contagious person, Daichi found himself mirroring the girl’s wide smile. He had every reason to win, aside from trusting his teammates with full percentage and training vigorously for this day—

— The one person he wanted to be in the stands, cheering for him at the top of her lungs, is finally here.

It was all he needed to win.

*

Kuroo was losing.

The Kozumes and the Kuroos were in a rented beach house that Kenma specifically hated for as long as they could remember since at this time of the year, the coast was packed with tourists and locals alike, something that peeved out the second-year. The two childhood friends were settled in one of the rooms, both of them lounging on each of the beds situated in front of a flat-screen television displaying their racing game. Kenma was winning (as always) and it not only agitated Kuroo, it also made him wish that his friend wasn’t this skilled in whatever type of video game. There was the usual mocking background music that made his eye twitch as his character toppled from the course while directing a murderous glare at the culprit, who was sitting comfortably with his eyes trained on the game.

Kenma, who probably felt the waves of malicious intent from his friend, glanced at the messy-haired boy from the corners of his eyes with a disgusted curl in his lips. “What?” he spat.

The dark-haired boy continued glaring, his eyes narrowing even more. “Can you stop pushing me from the course?” Kuroo asked with a huff. “Your way of winning is getting more annoying every time! This is not fair at all!”

“You are free to jump out the window if it bothers you that much.” Kenma rolled his eyes before sighing in relief at the ranking posted at the end of the game. Of course, he was first and the annoying person with him at the moment ended up last, with a big fat ‘boo’ contrasting his exploding cheers. “Such a simple thing to do — you’re free to make yourself out. I want to finish that role-playing game Yukimi-san suggested anyway.” The younger boy’s voice then dropped in an angry murmur, completely forgetting Kuroo in an instant. “I can’t seem to get past that battle without having my HP going all the way to zero. How does Yukimi-san do it?”

Having enough of playing games with Kenma since their families arrived in the beach house, Kuroo stood up from his bed and stretched his arms, humming in satisfaction at his muscles loosening from sitting around all day. As he wondered how Kenma managed to be a gaming hermit all his life, Kuroo’s head slightly turned to the said two-toned boy with a raised eyebrow. There was nothing he could do but shake his head endearingly at his younger friend. As much as people shared information about Kenma being a complete unsociable nerd, it wouldn’t change the fact that the silent boy was the one responsible for reaching out to Kuroo first.

“Don’t disturb me,” Kuroo reminded when he turned his back, making his way to one of his bags packed for the trip. “I’m going to review for the college examinations.”

“That should be my line.” The two-toned boy paused for a moment. “The first sentence, I mean.” Kenma then never paid a second glance at his friend, now absorbed in roaming around the dungeon, finding potions and elixirs the first thing in mind.

With nothing to add to the conversation, the messy-haired boy could only shake his head and take out the reviewers he bought with Yukimi on their first date. _Hana_. He can feel himself stopping short at just the mention of her name, even to the extent of feeling irregular beats inside his chest, with his face flushing under extreme heat and coloration (mainly of pinks and rouge). Kuroo was sure that whatever the two of them had will probably encompass time, passing by fleeting moments of high school to them being adults. To be able to wake up with her by his side as he wraps his arm around her, caging her in his embrace as the first hit of the aurora shines on the contours of her figure. With the appearance of those thoughts in his mind, the golden-eyed boy visibly flinched with an erratic heartbeat and a too-hot face, his hand firmly placed on the area where his heart is, an attempt to calm down his palpitating nature.

The wonder that is Kazahana Yukimi.

Whoever knew she could look his way without him expecting it? Starting high-school in Nekoma was supposed to be filled with his focus for volleyball, with romance not present in his mind at all, and he never even looked at Yukimi the first day of school, much less got ensnared at the very first minute of the morning assembly. He remembered hearing things about a cute first-year student from the others in his row, pointing to a certain girl a few chairs down, but he never once paid attention to it — until he stood next to her in front of the class. Just like any other lovesick person, Kuroo found himself unconsciously glancing her way every day during class, and noticing the tiniest things from her (the way she puts a lock of hair behind her ear to write better or the way she scrunched her face if she finds a question difficult — just to name a few).

That was how Kuroo’s unrequited love started.

Some would say he was too young to point out that Yukimi was already a constant in his life, but not even himself could explain it through words. Now as he highlighted each question that he found rather difficult (which was always in the Mathematics section of any test), Kuroo paused writing down the formulas to check his phone — a habit that spurred when he and Yukimi exchanged numbers. The girl’s name instantly popped in his lock screen (a photo he took of her when they were on their date) and he scrambled to unlock his phone to view the message. He felt an endeared laugh bubbling in his chest when he saw several photos attached.

Kuroo scrolled through pictures of Karasuno tensely preparing in their little corner, the venue of the Spring InterHigh preliminaries, and selfies of Yukimi that made the messy-haired boy coo inwardly. One of the photos showed his girlfriend with Karasuno’s blonde manager, the latter looking like she could blow a fuse at their proximity, which Kuroo completely understands, seeing as his group pictures with the dark-haired girl the past years all depicted his stiff posture with him glancing at her from time to time. Smiling fondly at those days, Kuroo paused at the last picture, which was only of herself and the messy-haired boy could tell that she took the time in dressing up (something that will always make him weak in the heart and knees).

He typed in a message, his heartbeat pulsing through his ears, not sure of her possible reaction.

Then, the reply he got made him bury his face in the pillow beside him, his chest overflowing with butterflies as he smiled so wide that a delighted laugh came out.

_大好きだよ_

*

Ohgi Minami.

From what Yukimi can see, they were a team full of expressive people, very much like Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Taketora (although, the libero in their group appeared composed compared to the former, who asked for a set from Kageyama to stop their opponents from saying one more word — which kind of worked). Laughing silently at the wing spiker's antics, Yukimi continued watching their warm-ups, her face blanking out in instant — something that she usually does when overlooking her team play. The caramel-eyed girl was used to Nekoma’s smooth receiving and unapproachable blocks that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the volleyball’s smack on the hardwood floor as Karasuno did their spiking drills. Of course, the team of crows was a pioneer in the offense, shaping it to their will and using it as if their weapons were made for them despite the subtle gaps in their defense, which is blocking. As much as Nishinoya and Daichi displayed their tenacity in receiving the ball, blocking is still an essential piece in a game.

With that in mind, Yukimi kept an eye on Tsukishima, Karasuno’s own weapon when it comes to their blocking. She was reminded of the times the previous week of practice serving as Kuroo’s listener as the captain ranted about how his student should apply in action what he taught. She could still envision Kuroo’s face when he was thinking about Tsukishima being his half-hearted self — Yukimi had to kiss him in the cheek to get rid of that demonic face they only witnessed in the court (the small session of kissing him on the cheek turned into something more since the messy-haired boy got in the mood). Brushing away the image of Kuroo, with his faces millimeters away from her accompanied by his crooked grin and half-lidded eyes, Yukimi focused on the match below.

Both teams are now lining up at the opposite end of the court and Yukimi was starting to feel nervous. This was a different feeling than when she watched Nekoma’s games as their manager because she had a gist of what her club members are capable of. But this? Her role is now a bystander and just like a part of the audience that she is, the dark-haired girl tried not to show the growing nerves in her stomach. If there will come a time that she’s watching Kuroo’s game not as his team’s manager but as a significant other, there wouldn’t be any traces of her being calm and collected, which was expected as a member of the club.

“I’m nervous for them.”

Yukimi turned around at the sound of Yachi’s quivering voice, the younger girl clutching the sides of her arms in a countermeasure from the nervousness that she felt. Schooling her features in a smile, the dark-haired girl beckoned Yachi beside her before staring at the court in front of them. “They’ll win, Yacchan,” her voice gained a confident tilt that was contrasting to the beat of her heart. Then, her soothing smile turned into something akin to Nekoma’s captain, making Yachi jump in perplexity. “Because if not, Daichi will have to take me to the yakiniku restaurant in his street after the games. This is my chance in exploiting off Daichi because I haven’t done this in two years.” The dark-haired girl turned back to Yachi with a huge grin. “Well, that is if they lose but I doubt that.”

Yachi felt a drop of sweat dripping down her neck as she shakily smiled at the older girl. _So Yukimi-san can actually pull off an expression like that. She kind of reminds me of their captain. Yukimi-san is so scary,_ were the thoughts rampant inside the blonde’s head whilst she shivered lightly. As the cheers from around them drowned the entire venue, Yachi quietly took a glance at the third-year beside her, finding herself in awe again with Yukimi. Even though her face was blank, it was still nice to look at. The first-year manager heard a lot about Yukimi from Kiyoko — other than the older girl being an outstanding student that even some faculty in Miyagi knew about her and her participation in national contests, Yukimi was also known for her kind nature and always smiling face. The more Yachi looked at her, the more she discerned that Yukimi is a beautiful person both inside and outside.

Though, those caramel irises held something underneath that Yachi didn’t have the right to question — most likely invading the older girl’s privacy by just asking why she looks sad.

“It’s starting,” Yukimi said with a sparkle in her eyes, covering up the cloud Yachi noticed and bringing her to reality with just a grin on the older girl’s face. True enough, the entire Karasuno team was huddled after their coaches’ pre-game talk and when Daichi shouted ‘Karasuno, fight’ to his members, Yukimi couldn’t help but murmur, “Yeah!” at the same time with Yachi. From this, the two girls looked at each other wide-eyed and burst into a fit of giggles.

“Oh? So you came to watch the game?” The old man beside them spoke up out of nowhere, his gaze set on someone behind the two girls. Yachi turned her head to see who was going to watch the game while Yukimi only glanced from the corner of her eyes so as not to appear that she was listening in. The old man continued, “Ukai-sensei.”

This was the infamous coach of Karasuno that made a rivalry pact with Coach Nekomata? Yukimi was now intrigued as she rose both of her eyebrows in slight surprise, her head shifted to take a look at the said old man. Behind the old man were two boys, their faces lifting in a smile and their eyes bright as they pointed at the court while murmuring to each other. It seems like their subject of interest lies in the tangerine ray of sunshine Karasuno has. After smiling slightly at the children, Yukimi fixed her gaze again at ‘Ukai-sensei’. There wasn’t a time during practice that Nekoma’s coach wouldn’t mention the old coach of their rival team. Apparently, under the guidance of the senior Ukai, the murder of crows managed to enter the national stage a few years back, igniting the very peak of Karasuno’s flight. Even Kuroo talked about the former coach with utmost respect and Yukimi can see that Ukai Sr. deserved the high praise coming from her team’s coaches and captain.

“Yeah,” Ukai-sensei murmured, his eyes fixed on the court below them.

The old man who called the former coach grinned, a laugh decorating his voice. “I guess that is your precious grandson’s team.”

“That’s got nothing to do with it!”

“Ukai? Grandson?” Yachi whispered to herself in mild confusion.

Yukimi looked at her with a smile. “That’s your current coach’s grandfather,” the caramel-eyed girl answered the younger girl’s question. “He was quite a subject within Nekoma’s volleyball club since Coach Nekomata knew him for a good amount of time.”

“Oh, that explains it,” Yachi absentmindedly told her. “I heard from Tanaka-san that some of the members quit the club when they were first-years because of,” the blonde then peeked at the old man, who was now conversing with his friend, her voice dropping into a whisper, “the harsh training he made the club do. Ennoshita-san, Kinoshita-san, and Narita-san were some of them but they also ended up joining again after a few weeks.” She then shivered slightly at the thought of having the older Ukai coach the team again. “It’s quite scary to think about it.”

The dark-haired girl nodded in understanding, remembering the things Daichi talked to her in phone calls and messages about his first few years in the Karasuno volleyball club, as she reached out a hand to lightly pat Yachi’s head. “Well, it’s a good thing that you now have the current Coach Ukai as the supervising you,” Yukimi looked away from the blonde manager and to the court, where the two teams are now in their first rotation, “because from what I can tell, your team is becoming one heck of a tightly knit group, one that will have the potential to win and go to nationals.” With a grin reaching her eyes, the medium-haired girl looked back at Yachi, whose eyes were filled with wonder. “At least that’s what I firmly believe.”

“Are you two from Karasuno?” One of the two kids who came with Ukai Sr. sidled up to the two girls, with the brown-haired one speaking to them. The said boy’s gaze traveled from Yachi to Yukimi, with the boy now curious at the casual outfit the older girl wore, thinking that she was also a manager. When Yukimi noticed his stare, she gave him a sweet smile that was reserved for children (and occasionally the members of Nekoma if they were being the behaved people they were, mostly to Kenma, though), making the brown-haired boy flush an adorable shade of pink that made Yukimi coo internally. “W—Why are you two up here?”

That flustered Yachi, who leaned toward the boys to answer, “Th—There’s only one manager allowed on the bench. You didn’t know that? And Yukimi-san is a visiting friend from another school.”

Yukimi waved at the two boys, who looked at anywhere but her with flushes on their cheeks.

Then, the boys erupted in a cheer as they once again pointed at Hinata, telling stories to the two girls on how the ginger-haired middle blocker came to their village just to improve his way of playing, which was something that Yukimi was beginning to be proud of, seeing as she sometimes overlooks the third gym’s practices. It was like that with the first-years of her club as well, also adding Kenma to the mix because the setter will always cozy up to her every chance he gets (irking Kuroo). There was no denying that Hinata reminded the caramel-eyed girl of Lev, both of them being lively enough to brighten up the room, both beholding the innate drive to improve and to be the best among their field of interest. While the others were still talking, Yukimi heard terms that she wasn’t familiar with, especially tempos. The girl had no choice but to relate it to something else to get the meaning. Speed. Ah, yes, a year in the music club definitely helped her a lot.

She would have to watch the game closely and take note of every single movement from both teams. Realizing that it could come off as rude, Yukimi sighed lightly as she recalled Kuroo teasing her from time to time that she was always unconsciously analyzing every single thing as long as she is invested in it. Of course, she couldn’t help it.

Asahi started the game with a powerful serve that echoed through the gymnasium. With wide eyes and a bright grin, Yukimi cheered alongside Yachi. Seeing the polished serve the ace practiced on during the training camp felt so jarring that it gave the medium-haired girl goosebumps. The fact that Karasuno did well in their offense sat well with Yukimi because there was no doubt that their tactics could be the key to passing the preliminaries without any worries at all. Points after points accumulated as Karasuno took up the lead, with the caramel-eyed girl cheering loudly at every single flip of the scoreboard (her cheer for Tsukishima could’ve reached the said boy’s ears since he turned his head towards the direction of the audience after scoring a point, his golden eyes fixed on her). Nonetheless, she gave the blonde middle blocker a large smile that radiated how proud she is of him, making Tsukishima stop short while walking back to the bench.

“Wow, are you good friends with Tsukishima-kun, Yukimi-san?” Yachi curiously asked Yukimi after witnessing the said boy shake his head as he jogged.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m close to him but seeing him learn from Tetsurou, the sight made him an automatic friend,” Yukimi replied with a chuckle, keeping to herself that Tsukishima is someone the girl decided to look after.

Yachi rose her eyebrows, hearing the mentioned for the first time. “Tetsurou?”

“Hmm?” Once the medium-haired girl realized Yachi’s confusion on Kuroo’s given name, she laughed a little. “It’s Kuroo’s first name.” Gaze soft, Yukimi looked at the side with a lovesick smile that would appear every time Kuroo is in the situation. “I started calling him that when we were close enough to realize our feelings for each other.” A light laugh twinkling in the air. “I guess people wouldn’t know him if a person calls him by his given name since he practically embodies his last name.” When she realized that someone is listening to her, Yukimi’s face became so warm that she was sure she looked like a tomato to Yachi. “I—I—uhm—Please don’t mind my mindless ramble, Yacchan.”

There was an array of information overflowing to Yachi. First, it was confirmed that there was a relationship going on between Nekoma’s captain and manager (she was always steering clear of the boys in the training camp and Yukimi never mentioned it in the managers’ sleeping area, always talking about topics that might engage the girls, that’s why she had no idea). She might’ve seen how the captain would fuss over the pretty older girl but she was convinced it was something close friends do. Well, it was official, she considers herself an idiot. Second, Yukimi looked so beautiful smiling like that. It felt like Yachi revitalized herself from witnessing such a rare side from the older girl, which is something similar if Kiyoko also smiled at her. Third, the older girl can easily be flustered like her and the perfect thing to make the older girl’s shy side come out was by letting her ramble about her significant other. Without thinking, Yachi told her with a determined face, “You look cute, Yukimi-san.”

“Eh?” Yukimi stared at her. “Yacchan—?”

The blonde manager nodded her head. “You looked quite sad earlier and I was afraid I’m invading your privacy but seeing you smile so happy right now, I think it eased my worries.”

The shocked visage turned into a soft yet grateful smile. “Thank you for worrying about me, Yacchan,” Yukimi told the blonde. The next rally brought them back to reality and at the exact moment she turned her head to watch the game again, Daichi went behind Tsukishima and Kageyama to receive the ball, which was changed into a tip in the last minute by Ohgi Minami’s number four. “Let’s go, Daichi!” Yukimi shouted at the top of her lungs, her excitement seeping through and was catching the attention of some of the people who were curious enough to watch the current game. Without minding the shocked yet amused faces of some of the audience, including the blonde manager beside her, the dark-haired girl grinned the widest, reminiscent to her middle school days of cheering for Daichi. It looked like her childhood friend was waiting for the tip to come over the net and drop to their side of the court and from just tiny development, Yukimi felt proud.

The next few minutes, as the game started to peak and reached the set point thanks to Kageyama’s serve, the crowd started to thicken in their side of the court, murmuring all kinds of speculations about the team clad in black and orange playing below. There were noticeable changes in the way Karasuno was playing and it baffled Yukimi how they managed to improve in a tremendous amount in just a short period, all because of the training camp where they get to play with several powerhouse schools with varying intensity of plays. And when Hinata managed a quick over the opponents’ blockers, there was no doubt that this team will continue to make legacy after legacy in the next few months leading to the Spring Interhigh. When that time comes, it would be inevitable that ‘The Battle of the Trash Heap’ Kuroo and the rest of Nekoma looked forward to will stay true to its words.

That’s how confident Yukimi is when it comes to the two teams that engraved themselves in the chambers of her heart.

*

The way to the restrooms made the dark-haired girl lost for a moment, seeing as she was now unfamiliar with the gymnasium after two years of not stepping foot in their prefecture. After successfully finding the female restrooms, Yukimi was now on her way back inside the main gymnasium as she recounted everything that happened in the past hour. Karasuno won their first game in the preliminaries with a ten-point lead in the second set. That’s saying something even though their opponents were not on their level. Their caliber was soaring higher than when she first witnessed them play against Nekoma during the first Golden Week. With her mind occupied with thoughts of freak quicks and kill blocks, Yukimi bumped into a toned body, the drink in the stranger’s hand now rolling on the floor.

“I’m really sorry,” Yukimi apologized, ducking to get the carbonated drink from the floor.

“It’s okay,” the stranger chuckled under his breath, crouching at the same time as Yukimi. When their fingers brushed against each other, the boy couldn’t help but look up from the floor to take a good look at who he bumped into. What he saw was definitely worth the slight incident because in front of him was probably the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Now one would think this would be an overreaction but he did see pretty girls in his life, clinging to him and even cheering for him in games (heck, Karasuno’s manager is one), but this? This was an angel stuck in a caramel-eyed beauty. “Wow,” he murmured, jaw slacked wide-eyed as he never stood up.

“Uhm, here’s your drink,” the medium-haired girl told the brown-haired boy who looked to be her age. He was dressed in a teal shirt and white jacket and track pants. The mop of hair framing his face added to his charm, Yukimi couldn’t even deny that. She inwardly pursed her lips in the realization that this might one of those popular boys like her boyfriend, judging from the lingering stares being thrown their way because of this boy. Yes, she wasn’t wrong. There was one thing that Yukimi hated and those were people who attract unwanted attention (which shows how much she hates herself for constantly grabbing people’s eyes so easily). Kuroo was like that but she has grown to love the idiot rooster-haired captain to not care about the girls vying for his attention. “I’m sorry for bumping into you again.” She tried for a smile to ease the tenseness of the stranger’s shoulders, standing up and patting her clothes from invisible dirt. Staring at the volleyball tracksuit he donned, she continued, “Good luck.”

It didn’t take long for Yukimi to stop in her tracks when the boy called out, “Hey,” making her turn around with subtle disbelief painting her face. “What’s your name?”

Is this for real? She wouldn’t exactly reply that she has a boyfriend because that would make her look like she was assuming something. After a moment’s hesitation, she replied in a hesitant voice, “Ka—”

After saying the first syllable, Yukimi was interrupted by a loud voice behind the expectant boy, “There you are, Shittykawa! How dare you run away again, you little shit?!”

“Eek, Iwa-chan?!”

“Just because you’re captain, doesn’t mean that you get to wander off on your own!”

“I’m sorry, I got thirsty!”

“Yukimi-san!”

Hinata’s voice pulled her from incredulously staring at a slightly taller boy putting the brown-haired one in a headlock. That got to hurt. It was also a familiar sight but she couldn’t pinpoint how it became familiar to her. Oh, Yaku and Lev. That explains it. Blinking and not waiting for the boy who bumped into her to acknowledge that she was drifting off, Yukimi turned around to meet Hinata’s smile. “Coming, Shoyo, I was just making my way back from the restroom,” she reassured him. Once she was side by side with the ginger-haired ball of sunshine, the older girl noticed how he was shaking and fidgeting. With furrowed brows, Yukimi asked gently, “Shoyo, are you feeling alright? You were still bubbling with energy earlier, what happened?”

“O—Oh!” Hinata jumped when he felt the hand of the medium-haired girl on his shoulder. “I—It’s nothing! Just,” then, his face went grim, “wanting to combine with a stuffed toy, a cartoon character, and a shark.”

Yukimi blinked in confusion. “What?” she voiced out. Why would Hinata think this way? And why a shark? “Why?”

“200 centimeters,” was all it took for Yukimi to understand the situation as she let out a sound of understanding, nodding slightly.

“Don’t tell me that scared you?” Seeing the younger boy gulp down the nervous lump in his throat, Yukimi couldn’t help but gently catching his eyes with a tilt in the head. “You’re Hinata Shoyo, the only person I know who could jump higher than anyone. Who cares if he surpassed every player in this gymnasium right now? You have the potential to outfly him — just trust yourself enough that you’ll get through this just like how you sped through the first game. Oh, and remember that you’re not alone in the match with the two-meter guy, you’ve got reliable teammates behind you who always got your back. I’m pretty sure you know that by now.”

Ending it with a smile was the only thing that eased Hinata from his worries as he stared at the caramel irises beholding the stars. It warmed his chest, creeping to his cheeks, but that didn’t make him look away from her. Something was compelling and soothing inside the older girl’s stare, the type of kindness that was so rare these days. Hinata giggled after a few moments of staring. “Thank you, Yukimi-san! Just watch from the bleachers! I’ll make sure that I get to score some more points this round, all grand enough to make you smile like that!”

“Of course! I’m looking forward to it, Shoyo!”

Behind them, the pair of boys still in front of the vending machines stared at the interaction of the shrimp of a middle blocker and pretty girl. Iwaizumi couldn’t even deny that he found the girl pretty as he continued being in a daze when his shit of a best friend pointed her out to him, with the words that should take a look at what graced him a few minutes earlier. True enough, when the dark-haired girl and vibrant shrimp walked to where the other members of Karasuno were at, Seijoh’s ace looked at his friend, who was still fixated on the retreating girl. This time around, Iwaizumi didn’t even have the guts to shake him from the girl’s spell because she was more than the fangirls flocking him at some point in their days. “Hey, let’s go, stop gawking and close your mouth,” Iwaizumi told him. “Your drool is showing.”

“Yukimi,” Oikawa murmured.

“What?” Iwaizumi perplexedly asked, his voice high.

“Her name, that is.”

“Well, you’ve got no chance,” he answered, irked while pulling on the collar of the setter’s jacket. “Besides you never know, she might be dating already.

Somewhere around Japan, a certain messy-haired boy with half-lidded golden eyes sneezed loudly in their room, stopping for a moment from his studies as he pushed back the reading glasses perched on his nose, murmuring, “Damn, these chills are definitely not helping,” before staring out the window, thoughts of his girlfriend circulating in his mind like clockwork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omfg, college has been a bitch lately and i didn't have the time to write my fic in a while because of the piling schoolwork. i have been writing this in intervals of my essays (bc goddammit our prof gave us a minimum of ten essays to write and it nearly fried my last remaining brain cell from it) and activities. note that this was unedited and i might edit this when i get free time from doing all these tasks.
> 
> thank you for reading !!!


	34. SIMPLE STRENGTH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a little heads-up that this is unedited since i have been adjusting to college the past weeks and i didn't have time to edit this because of the piled-up requirements. happy reading, everyone !!

“He reminds me of Lev.”

Yachi, frustration clear on her face, stopped narrowing her eyes at the court to look at Yukimi beside her. The older girl had been quiet since the start of the game and Yachi understood the feeling of being belittled by the audience even though they weren’t the ones playing — it was stifling. “Who, Yukimi-san?”

Slightly pursed lips decorated the dark-haired girl’s face. “The two-meter guy.” Yukimi tilted her head as she assessed Kakugawa with a blank stare, the team Karasuno was playing with at the moment. All of them appeared to be mediocre when it comes to their jumping power, spiking accuracy, and receiving reflexes, which the girl didn’t even have to sugarcoat because it was apparent in the way the team rolled with their attacks. Though, their only beacon of hope towered over the players in the gymnasium, making them a one-man team of sorts. While Lev had innate flexibility and speed that can make him move on the court like he adapted Nekoma’s way of playing, the two-meter guy Karasuno was wary of lacked in those departments. Very much like Lev, he only started volleyball, Yukimi was guessing, at the start of the school year. “He’s like Lev in terms of experience. You could say that the two of them started later than their members. It would do so much better if two-meter guy exhibited even the slightest sense of doing straights because I got a feeling that both Daichi and Nishinoya-san figured it out from his constant cross shots.”

The blonde manager let out a sound of understanding as she fixed her eyes on the court once again. “I didn’t think of that,” she murmured under her breath before smiling brightly at the caramel-eyed girl. “You really know your way around volleyball, Yukimi-san. I don’t even know the terminologies until I got invited to be Karasuno’s manager.” Yachi sheepishly scratched her head with a shaky laugh.

The dark-haired girl gave out a light laugh, relieved at how Yachi loosened her tensed nerves. “I guess all those years being Daichi’s friend paid off. It was all thanks to him that I get to be doing well being Nekoma’s manager because if not for him talking my ear off about plays, I’d be fussing over every single thing. Not to mention that every team has kindness and patience in them that can welcome any new member,” she smiled wistfully, “and I happen to be in a team like that. Give it a little time, Yacchan, because every one of us started not knowing what we got ourselves into. I’m pretty sure you’ll be a fine manager in the near future!”

“Thank you, Yukimi-san!” Yachi nearly hugged the girl but she opted to gripping the railing in front of them and showing Yukimi how determined she is. “I’ll definitely do my best!”

After minutes of watching Karasuno adjust to the two-meter guy, Yukimi was stunned when Hinata and Kageyama did their freak quick — only it wasn’t the usual freak quick everyone was used to. The ball was too fast. One second, Yukimi was fixated on the court and how Kageyama rose his arms in a toss, and the next second, Shoyo was flying through the air as if he was born to do it. The ball stopping in midair was the one thing Yukimi noticed from the quick. The medium-haired girl witnessed this during the training camp and to watch it unfold in front of her in a real tournament, felt so surreal and her chest overflowed with the pride she felt for the duo. The whole gymnasium erupted in excited shouts and cheers as they saw the infamous speedy quick Karasuno weaponized. Not only that, their wall of defense was now on par with Kakugawa as Tsukishima shut down a quick from the said team, bringing Karasuno closer to set point.

It made Yukimi beam with warmth for them.

As the game progressed to the climax of the first set, with Kakugawa scoring gradually throughout the remainder of the game’s first half, the boys and Ukai Sr. delved into a conversation regarding the speed of one’s start-up and Yukimi found herself in deep thought once again. So Shoyo, being the animated volleyball maniac that he is, surpassed the mentioned tempos and even balancing himself on a thin line called the minus tempo. Damn, for such a young kid, he could move way beyond normal numbers and tasting the advantage of possessing such speed. Interestingly, with the way he bounced in court, Shoyo couldn’t still grasp the basic stances for receiving and not having a steady foot when drifting at different points in their rotation. That much Yukimi can observe for now.

Beside her, Yachi was busy taking down notes from the conversation, encircling certain things like ‘whoosh’ and ‘baam’ on her paper as she described the minus tempo Shoyo exhibited. Yukimi couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath. Yachi is effortlessly adorable and it clearly shows as the younger girl pursed her lips, her eyes narrowed at her writing.

And with a resounding smack on Kakugawa’s court, Karasuno bagged the first set.

*

Daichi nearly backed away when Yukimi waved him over with sparkling eyes. It looked wondrous to others, specifically two certain second-years, first-years, and some lingering players making their way out of the gymnasium as the first day of the preliminaries ended on a good note. The medium-haired girl was beside their second manager and was laughing radiantly, the sight of that being utterly heavenly. However, for the boy, it was anything but. The look on his childhood friend wasn’t sitting right with him for so many reasons. One of them being her penchant for emptying his wallet every time he wins his games. He really wanted his wallet to be full despite having the urge of celebrating their win but here they are, Daichi accepting defeat by absentmindedly patting his sling bag, his face set in a blank smile that might have resembled a dead fish. The latter description wasn’t something he came up with but rather—

“Stop looking like a dead fish, Daichi!” Yukimi laughed, reaching out to give her friend firm pats on the back. “I have no plans of emptying your wallet.”

The boy made a funny face as he regarded his caramel-eyed childhood friend. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Relax, it’s your day today,” she replied with a smile that alleviated some doubt from Daichi’s mind. “I’ll be helping your mom cook something up. Don’t worry, we’ll be spending time in your room tonight and watch the movies I picked out.”

From what Yukimi said, everyone from Karasuno turned their heads to stare at the pair. They couldn’t help it when the medium-haired girl said it so casually that would rack up bizarre ideas from the group. And looking at their captain being so resigned at the thought of spending time with her (stressing the fact that they’re comfortable with each other to the point of going inside the boy’s room), they concluded that the two had done this a couple of times. Hinata placed both of his hands on the sides of his face, screeching at the realization and possibilities of the pair of friends inside a four-walled space, making Kageyama look at him warily. Sugawara and Asahi had their jaws dropped on the ground, the two of them staring incredulously at Daichi. Their friend had no time for girls when in school but now? The gray-haired setter was already planning on kicking his friend in the ass because of this measly reason.

“It’s not what you think,” Daichi dryly stated, not even turning back to his teammates.

Yukimi let out a loud laugh, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s been a while since I heard that from you,” she told him while sympathetically patting the captain on the shoulder before meeting the wide eyes of the Karasuno members. “We get that a lot back in the days. There’s nothing wrong with people of the opposite genders platonically finding love and comfort from one another. Besides, Daichi wouldn’t forgive himself if he ever tried something that would make his life turn 50-50.”

Daichi nodded in agreement, crossing his arms across his chest. “That’s right. I’m pretty sure there are still people out there who don’t have feelings for their best friend.” He then side-eyed Yukimi with a flat look. “I know too much information about this girl and it’s making me second-guess if I should date her. I don’t know how Kuroo-san managed it to be honest.” Directing his next statement at the girl, he sighed. “I bet you didn’t show him how riled up you get when you can’t finish a single dungeon in a game or when your gacha pull didn’t have any of those ultra-rare cards. Oh, and that time as well when someone stressed you out because they had to fight their answer against yours so you had to dedicate your time to understand why you got a different one. The number of years of pain and suffering I had to endure because I became friends with pretty Yuki-chan.”

“Shut up,” Yukimi replied, pushing him playfully on the side. “I didn’t yell at you that loud when I wasted all of my diamonds because of a pick-up. Plus, I already apologized for calling you so late at night that one time because of my rising stress levels.”

“I can feel the sincerity.”

The group of teenagers continued packing up to head home after a hectic day of jumping around and diving to get the ball. All of them were now dressed in extra shirts and their standard club shorts, as advised by Takeda, saying that they should avoid staying in their sweaty jerseys for too long if they don’t want to catch a cold. As the others chattered while zipping up their sports bags, Yukimi walked to where Kiyoko and Yachi were and decided to help in organizing which bags should be placed in the van first. The cooler had to go first, with Asahi volunteering to carry it for the managers, followed by Ennoshita and Kinoshita, who willingly slung Kiyoko’s first-aid kit and bag on their shoulders. When that was settled, Tanaka and Nishinoya appeared out of nowhere to carry the blue-eyed girl’s things, which was rejected in an instant when Kiyoko told them that the others already carried them on their own.

The bespectacled girl turned around to the two girls with a smile, “Oh, I’m going to see if anything got left behind. You two can go ahead, Yukimi-chan, Hitoka-chan.”

“Two pairs of eyes are better at finding things, right? So I’m helping you, Kiyoko-san,” Yukimi told the girl, making Kiyoko’s eyes widen a bit before looking down with a small smile.

“Okay.”

“I’ll be staying with the team, then!” Yachi exclaimed, paired with a determined salute.

With that, the blonde first-year followed the others out of the gymnasium, leaving behind Kiyoko and Yukimi to search for some belongings that the other forget to take with them. Daichi looked back for a second to try catching the eyes of his childhood friend and was met with a dismissive wave of her hand, which made him shake his head with a grin. As the two girls went up the stairs to the second floor overlooking the ground level, Yukimi turned to Kiyoko. “Congratulations on the win,” she told the blue-eyed manager, who was still smiling at her, “that was by far the best match I’ve ever seen since I left Miyagi! The way Shoyo ran on the court and how Kageyama seemed to figure out where he is without any sort of interaction in the games — it was exhilarating! And also the way the wing-spikers helped in keeping score — Azumane-san’s power and Tanaka-san’s spontaneous quicks. Everything in Karasuno is so well-balanced that it sent chills down my spine as I watched the game with Yacchan. You guys have excellent blockers in the making, which would be Tsukki, and prodigal receivers as well!”

Kiyoko chuckled, proud that someone noticed the high-caliber team she managed, with both of her hands gripping the straps of her backpack. “It was all because of the summer training camp that we get to evolve, too. I’m really happy that there’s someone who also notices the amazing things our team shows. It wasn’t that much, seeing as we were down in the dumps the previous years,” she trailed off to lift her head the end of the stairs with a half-smile, “but I can tell we’re getting there. We’ll definitely get there someday.”

Yukimi then imagined the huge stadium housing different teams of various colors and attitudes when January comes. For some reason, she could see Karasuno lifting their sign along with Nekoma. It’s not that she was hoping for it, but it was more of it is a definite possibility. Everything will align itself just to give the boys what they wish for in their last year of high school. It made Yukimi hum under her breath as she walked in the pace of Kiyoko until they reached the second-floor landing. “Of course you can,” she voiced out with kind eyes, making Kiyoko meet them with her own cobalt gaze. “Karasuno is a good team with a solid foundation and connected members.”

“But the next opponents are amazing teams,” Kiyoko admitted, now staring at the floor as the two neared their resting spot earlier in the day. “One of them was the team that we faced in the last tournament. You should’ve seen that game. It was intense for some and even for me, but I could tell it was a match that became a reset for most in the club. Then we have the champions in the last tournament and a constant placer in the nationals — Shiratorizawa.”

There was no denying that Shiratorizawa became one of the best teams in Japan, all because of its ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi. She nearly went to their school during middle school but she chose to enroll with Daichi, the anxiety of being in a new environment too much for her to take. It would have been so much different if Yukimi went there. For instance, their school produced brilliant teams that gained the promise of setting foot in a national team and most of the students taking part in the curriculum are dubbed as prodigies. The exam was too hard, that was the summary. Being a twelve-year-old taking the exam with collegiate questions was enough for her to neglect the said school. But when the results came out saying that she passed, her parents weren’t sure if that institution was right for her, so in the end, they made her decide on her own.

“Thinking about their team scares me,” Yukimi shivered. “Wait, you mentioned a team that you faced the last tournament.”

Kiyoko blinked at the question, not expecting her friend to be curious about that certain team. “Their school is Seijoh. But that was short for Aoba Johsai.”

Then, the teal shirt worn by the boy Yukimi bumped into earlier popped into her head, the very words of the mentioned school printed on the piece of clothing. The boy had an air of superiority around him that made the medium-haired girl guess if he has a high position in their club.

“By any chance, is their captain’s name Shittykawa?” Yukimi asked, genuinely curious.

Kiyoko had never swiveled her head so fast until Yukimi asked that question. “ _K—Kusoi_ —?” The blue-eyed girl then laughed. “Where did you get that, Yukimi-chan?”

“I bumped into someone called that earlier during lunch,” Yukimi answered. “Somebody was calling him that but I think I saw the name Aoba Johsai printed on his shirt.”

“That’s probably Oikawa, their captain. Did he do anything to you?” Kiyoko couldn’t help but ask knowing the aforementioned boy’s reputation with girls in their prefecture. She was worried that Yukimi might be one of the boy’s victims, seeing as he had a gaggle of girls trailing behind him with just a smile. Well, it lessened her worries when she saw how Yukimi’s face contorted into slight confusion. Then there was the looming picture of Nekoma’s captain flashing in the crevices of Kiyoko’s mind, which now erased all the worry she has for the girl. “I’m sorry, I just had to ask since he has quite a reputation here in our prefecture.”

Yukimi looked upon the ceiling for a moment to recall what exactly that Oikawa boy said after bumping into her. “I think he only asked for my name. Nothing else. Shoyo appeared in the next minute so I never got to tell him my name.”

A sigh came out of the bespectacled girl’s mouth, thankful that Hinata was doing great with his ability to pop out of nowhere. It’s not that Kiyoko wanted Yukimi to never interact with the boy but something was unnerving when he tried to hit on her when they had their practice match with Seijoh. There will always be something disgusting when men couldn’t control their urges every time they pinpointed a girl worthy enough of their attention. Yukimi is prettier and daintier, a lot of things others wanted to be, and it was up to Kiyoko to protect her from the lingering wolves (she picked this up from spending too much time with her team), just like what Karasuno has done for her. Of course, she has to tone it down and replace it with the flat looks she was known for.

“That’s good,” Kiyoko smiled.

“I noticed that he has an entourage with him,” the caramel-eyed girl roamed her gaze around the hallway if there were any familiar things the boys might own, “is he famous?”

“Oh, he is, he has girls cheering for him in the stands.”

“That’s new.”

Nekoma doesn’t have those, well, Kuroo’s following never bombarded their practices and games for no apparent reason. Everybody knows how much the school adored Kuroo and yet it was still a mystery that they were so quiet, unlike Oikawa’s fangirls. They were always squealing whenever the messy-haired boy walked down the hallways but when it comes to supporting him and his team, they simply vanished — one of the reasons why Nekoma formed a cheering team consisting of people Akane recruited. Though, she noticed that the craze surrounding Kuroo lessened when Yukimi started being the club’s manager. The next minute, the caramel-eyed girl felt her bag vibrate. Curious about who would call her out of nowhere, Yukimi fumbled to get her phone and immediately brightened up when she saw her mother’s contact name on her screen.

“Kiyoko-san, excuse me for a moment, I need to take this call.”

The said girl nodded. “Sure, I’ll be searching our spot in the second-floor, we should meet here.”

“Thank you,” Yukimi bowed a little before walking a few feet away while pressing to answer Natsumi’s call. “Hi, Mom!”

“Yuki-chan! Good thing that we have a break after long hours of sitting in an auditorium. The seminars just keep on going and going and I didn’t even have time to pee. Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. Are you doing well in Daichi’s house? Are you eating well? Oh, shoot I should have left you some more pocket money so you can go shopping there with the twins.” Natsumi rambled through the other end of the call, which was a normal occurrence when the two family members spend their days apart from each other. After hearing Yukimi’s light laugh, the older woman stopped for a moment. “I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying your stay there. Is Miyagi treating you well?”

“Of course, it’s our hometown after all,” the teenager answered with a knowing smile on her face. “You should know that Sakuya-ba-san has been feeding me a lot since yesterday. The dinner and breakfast earlier were all filled with her special cooking that I couldn’t stop eating. That’s one of your worries gone from the list. This might be the best sort of vacation I got from academics and managing a club. I get to play with the twins yesterday and I did some catching up with Daichi.” Running her fingers on the railing in front of her, Yukimi took the time in gathering her thoughts. “It made me feel normal again talking to someone who I’m really comfortable with.” Upon realizing that she was implying that her friends in Nekoma weren’t of significance, the medium-haired girl took back what she said with a startled yelp. “I—I mean, it’s not that I don’t talk with my friends in Nekoma but—“

“I get it, Yuki-chan,” Natsumi warmly told her daughter. “It’s really different talking with a person you grew up with rather than people who you’ve known for only a few years. I guess Miyagi will always have a place in your heart and I don’t blame you for finding comfort with a person associated with the place.”

“Yeah.”

“But don’t beat yourself up for it, okay? We’ll get there one day, Yuki-chan.” Natsumi’s voice entered into one of those soothing ones that she was exposed to ever since she got diagnosed a year before. “Our process of healing is different compared to others, we just have to be patient in accomplishing it. I’m with you every step of the way, along with your friends, always remember that.”

It took Yukimi a while to answer her. The whole minute was of her staring into space and forgetting that she was in a call with her mother until she jumped upon hearing her mother call her name. “I’m sorry I spaced out for a bit,” she apologized with a practiced laugh. “I’ll let you know if there’s a problem, Mom, but so far I’m doing great.” Steeling herself, she blurted out, “I’m not a ticking bomb, Mom. I can still manage. You don’t have to treat me like I’m fragile. I’m not who I was when I was in second-year.”

“Okay, Yuki-chan,” Natsumi answered after an inhaled breath. “I love you so much, I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” Then, there was someone calling her mother in the background of the call. “The seminar is resuming. I’ll call you again tonight or tomorrow morning. I love you and take care there, Yuki-chan.”

“I love you, Mom, and you take care there as well. Please stay safe.”

“Always, Yuki-chan.”

The dial tone can only be heard once the call ended. It gave Yukimi a lot of things to think about. For starters, she noticed that for the past months, her social interaction with people improved by a lot. Not only does she appreciate it, but she was also thankful for the benefits this constantly give her. Her sensitivity wasn’t like from when the start of year two, where every negative little thing being talked about her, she would go ballistic inside her mind and regretting ever opening her mouth to try conversing with others. Overthinking things as a way of survival wasn’t doing anything right to her wellbeing and it concerned her mother to the point of sending her to a therapist when she started staring into nothing and constantly having a meltdown every time she stepped a foot inside their house. Isolating herself was the one thing that Yukimi needed to do to dismiss her last year in Nekoma with a resounding farewell but it all changed when she started becoming a manager for a sports club — something that she didn’t expect at all.

It was all thanks to Kuroo.

Thinking about Kuroo has always been a beacon of hope for her, with the boy being the one person who reached out to her willingly and not because he was forced to do so. Looking back on it, there were so many people trying to get past the wall she built but when Kuroo started knocking on it to let him in and to know her better, Yukimi tore her walls down herself to accept his proposal of being his friend. Well, from what is obvious in the present, they were more than friends — dating each other in fact. Another thing she didn’t expect in her third year in Nekoma. Falling in love with the amazing person that is Kuroo Tetsurou was way out of her control, very much like how she plunged herself in a new book and not knowing where the plot would lead her. Of all the people who could understand her, it was a group of volleyball maniacs who all have the most genuine heart from everyone in their school, and who were under the leadership of Kuroo.

She was lucky when it comes to him.

“Sorry, I’m waiting for someone here.”

“It only takes a second to give me your phone number.”

Yukimi got out of her reverie only to find Kiyoko being cornered by two strangers, looming over her the girl with too-friendly smiles on their faces. _What is with the boys in this place and their nature of asking unnecessary things to girls_? One had his hair dyed in blonde and appeared to be quite expressive in his actions of wooing her friend while the other had a smirk and one arm firmly preventing Kiyoko to get out of the situation. Oikawa asking for her name was nothing compared to what the bespectacled girl is experiencing at the moment. Gritting her teeth and schooling her features in a blank façade, which radiated with the coldness that she reserved only when her close friends were being harassed in any way, the caramel-eyed girl walked with purpose, her head held up high until she reached the three people left in the hallway.

“Didn’t you get the hint that she doesn’t want to give you her number?”

Without lifting her glare, the two boys’ confused visages morphed into wonder the moment they set their eyes on her. Yukimi continued walking with measured footsteps, past awestruck blonde and placing herself in front of Kiyoko, who was wide-eyed at her appearance. It was only a few minutes earlier that the blue-eyed girl promised to herself that she will be the one protecting the girl in front of her and somehow with the towering volleyball players surrounding them, Yukimi never faltered as she did the job in protecting Kiyoko. The caramel-eyed girl reached a hand out behind her and wrapped it around Kiyoko’s wrist, squeezing it to give the latter comfort and support, all the while never leaving her glare from the two unknown boys.

“Are you even listening? She already said no, right? Why do you want it so badly even though she was uncomfortable with it?” Yukimi continued.

“U—Uhm, we,” the blonde boy looked at his companion for any support but the other boy only stared at Yukimi like she was a being brought from another world, “we, uhm, ahem.”

The casually-dressed dark-haired girl rose an eyebrow as her glare now mirrored Kuroo’s, her eyes flaring dangerously and not satisfied with the stuttering the boy gave her. “What? Cat got your tongue?”

“Uh—“

Then, an orange ball of sunshine jumped in front of the girls, surprising the four people dotting the hallway, with Yukimi now pressed on the wall and Kiyoko clinging on her arm. Hinata was shaking, his teeth chattering and eyes unfocused, as he spread his arms widely in an attempt of preventing the two boys from getting too close with their manager and close friend. The first-year turned around and firmly grasped Yukimi’s wrist in his hand, pulling her away while pushing Kiyoko with his free one, shouting to the two strangers, “Sorry! That’s my lunch box! Let’s go, hurry! The others are waiting for us—ah!” The force pulling Yukimi down the stairs disappeared as the blonde boy took Hinata’s collar and threw him to the side.

“Hinata?!”

“Shoyo!”

“Hey, you don’t mind giving me your name, right?” The blonde boy sheepishly asked Yukimi, catching her attention, his hand scratching the back of his neck as he chuckled nervously with pink hues on his cheeks. “Just your name! If you don’t want to give your number, that is. Because it seems like you don’t like it when we asked for your friend’s number.” The boy was determined with this conquest that he nearly took Yukimi’s hands in his, his moment interrupted when Hinata now jumped in between the two, gaining mixed reactions from the height of his jump. Kiyoko looked bewildered, the two boys stared at him in disbelief, while Yukimi gaped at him in amazement, a hint of a smile gracing her features.

One the middle blocker landed on the ground, he stuttered out, “Sh—Shimizu-senpai is our precious manager, and, uhm, Yukimi-san is a very close friend who has a scary boyfriend so you better back off! Uhm—“

The unnamed blonde boy leaned forward until he was face to face with Hinata, the very same wonder planted on his face just like the people who first witnessed the middle blocker’s jumping power. His smirk was anything but kind as he noted, “So you guys beat the two-meter guy,” along with an impressed hum. When Hinata made a sound of approval from the boy’s statement, he leaned back and placed both of his hands on his hips, haughtily lifting his head and continuing, “Aw, I was looking forward to playing against the two-meter guy.”

“Play?” Hinata asked, tilting his head on the side in confusion.

Yukimi, who still had her eyebrows furrowed at the pair of strangers, scrutinized the blond. The way he carried himself was bringing something familiar in her mind. He was wearing the standard sweatpants that were common for any volleyball club along with his companion, who was quiet the whole time the interaction was taking place. Yukimi concluded that maybe he was a member of another volleyball team who chose to watch the games earlier in the day, just like how the Oikawa boy did earlier since she had never seen the name Aoba Johsai in the lineup for the preliminaries. True enough, her suspicions were correct as the blond grinned, answering Hinata’s question and giving Yukimi a glimpse of a glinting material attached to his tongue. Great, this boy is bad news — was the girl’s first impression of him.

“Matches are super fun, aren’t they?”

“Uhm, did you get past the preliminaries?” the orange-haired boy asked again, confused since he never noticed a team with their colors playing inside the gymnasium.

Once again, the blond rose his head and huffed, “Prelims? We didn’t participate in the prelims.”

“Huh?” Hinata exclaimed. “So you guys were in the Inter-High quarterfinals?”

The boy opened his eyes and directed his half-lidded gaze straight to Yukimi, who flinched at the eye contact. He never took his eyes from her as he stated, “Ah, I think it was the semifinals,” as if it was something that would compel her to give him her name. Only when Yukimi rolled her eyes did the blond looked away from her, his brown eyes now set on the middle blocker in front of him. After Hinata echoed being in the semifinals, he patted the shorter boy on the head, ruffling his hair into a messy state. “If we manage to bump into each other at the qualifier, let’s have some fun and play.” With both of his hands stuffed in the pockets of his sweatpants, the boy walked away with his friend following behind him, but not before, “Just tell me your name please.”

 _Why are boys so obsessed with names_? Yukimi thought as she scrunched her face in front of the tall blond. With an icy glare, she replied, “Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“Kuroo … Tetsurou?” The blond was taken aback. He really expected something along the lines of something feminine. But who was he to complain, at least he finally got her name. “Is that really your name?”

“It’s my boyfriend’s,” Yukimi deadpanned. “Kuroo Tetsurou is the name of my boyfriend. Thought you should know.”

Both boys stood tensely at the side at the word, with the blond chuckling nervously before quickly bowing in front of the girl. “I’m sorry about my behavior!” As he straightened himself, he took a glance at the other two who were just as shocked as them, before turning around to leave the venue.

“You’re so cool, Yukimi-san!” Hinata shouted with both hands in the air, his eyes showing admiration for the older girl, who was sighing in relief from the interaction.

Smiling a little, Yukimi ruffled the middle blocker’s hair softly. “It’s not that cool. I just had to resort to that to drive him away.” Then, she turned to Kiyoko with a bright smile, who was still wide-eyed at her, her blue irises glinting under the gym’s overhead lights. “It’s a good thing he doesn’t want your number anymore. I’m happy that I got here on time.”

Kiyoko reciprocated Yukimi’s smile with her own, tilting her head slightly to the right. “Thank you so much, Yukimi-chan.” She then turned back to Hinata with the same lift in her lips. “Sorry about that, Hinata, and thank you. Here,” she lifted a lunchbox wrapped in a cute handkerchief with little cats as a pattern that Yukimi couldn’t help but internally gush on, “you forgot this. This lunch box wrap is cute.”

The middle blocker shakily took the lunchbox from the older girl’s hands, his cheeks burning even more when he heard Yukimi’s laugh from his side. “It’s my little sister’s! Not mine at all!” he stuttered out, his gaze on the floor.

“I think you gave me an idea on how to wrap bento boxes, Shoyo,” Yukimi told him in between her chuckles, thinking of making bento boxes for her and Kuroo when summer vacation ends. Just like that, Yukimi missed the thrill of school and late afternoon practices. What she missed the most though was the time she spent with Kuroo under that tree in the school’s courtyard, eating their packed lunches and minding their own world. Shaking her head slightly, she followed the two members of the Karasuno volleyball club out of the gymnasium, announcing, “Sorry we’re late!”

“And right when I thought you got yourself lost.”

“Shut up, Daichi, there was a pest that we needed to exterminate.”

“Pest?” Daichi looked at Kiyoko, who only shook her head with a smile.

“Yes, a pest,” the dark-haired girl rolled her eyes before murmuring under her breath, “I swear, I even have to mention Tetsurou to drive him away.”

“Sucks to be pretty like you, Yuki-chan.”

“Daichi?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”


	35. FIGHTING FOR HAPPINESS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // panic attacks.

Life wasn’t lovely if there are circumstances like what Yukimi is facing at the moment.

The pristine white walls were anything but comforting for the teenager and she has been sitting here in the minimalistic waiting room for forty-five minutes, her gaze expectant for the previous patient to open the door and to welcome her for another hour of baring her mind. Posters of being ‘okay’ decorated the walls and they were only making her heart constrict in her chest. It was that time of the month. Not menstruation but worse — checking up on her mental health as if it was a definite thing in her life. This was a reminder for her that she will never get better. At least that’s what Yukimi thought.

She already tried the breathing exercises her mother instructed her if she feels nervous. An inhale. Hold it. Then, a huge exhale that expels all her worries in life. It was quite funny that this was introduced to her way before she was diagnosed, probably when she was in her last year of primary school. Close your eyes and imagine the most beautiful place you could think of (the meadow of flowers they visited one summer day) and inhale the sweet scent of your favorite dessert (being an eleven-year-old meant cakes for Yukimi), and everything will be alright and the sun will shine the brightest for you, was what her father told her. She inhaled those words, kept them in her little jar filled with golden stars inside the chambers of her heart. Right now, however, they weren’t doing anything to help her.

It was pointless.

Yet it hurts her, knowing that by how ineffective her coping mechanism has become, she was already neglecting her father’s words. Yukimi never knew she gripped her long skirt tightly until her mother’s hand covered her own, soothing every bit of tenseness enclosed in her tiny fists. This rendered the medium-haired girl to look at her mother with wide eyes, apologizing with just a stare depicting furrowed brows and pursed lips.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

A tiny gasp escaped Natsumi’s mouth, turning to her daughter with a pained look, her grip on the teenager’s fists tightening with reassurance. “Yuki-chan, how many times have I told you that you should never feel sorry about this?” She pleaded with her achingly kind daughter. With just that word, she felt how lacking she was of being a parent to her child. The moment the word was uttered, which was never heard from the girl aside from admitting her tiniest mistakes growing up, Natsumi was about to hug her daughter when the door to the clinic they were visiting opened. Looking up, Natsumi bowed while straightening herself from her seat, all the while Yukimi stayed still on the couch with her head down. “Good morning, Nakamura-sensei.”

Nakamura Sara was a well-known therapist and psychiatrist in their part of Tokyo. The middle-aged woman had her hair in a messy bun, showing that she might have been stressed with all the stray hairs covering her forehead. The therapist looked like she needed caffeine. “Natsumi-san,” she acknowledged before yawning discreetly behind the palm of her hand, a smile now plastered on her lips soon after, “I believe Yukimi-chan is ready?”

Natsumi took a worried glance at her daughter, who was now standing up from her seat while patting her lap free from invisible dust, the younger girl’s head still down, and her hair blanketing her face. Dropping her voice in a whisper, the older woman reassured Yukimi, “I’m right here outside waiting, Yuki-chan.”

Wordlessly, the girl of caramel eyes and vibrant personality gave an enchanting smile as she nodded at her mother, and then walked towards the opened door leading to a familiar place she considered as her least favorite one.

*

Kuroo doesn’t have a favorite place.

Being stuck inside his room while the echoing shouts of his parents reverberated through their house made him isolate himself from exploring what setting fits him best. He would answer this with ‘my room’ but that wasn’t the case when you grew up in a broken home filled with sharp knives thrown here and there (figuratively, of course) and bangs that stayed inside Kuroo’s head as a kid. There were no galaxies nor a cosmos of stars present in his childhood, nothing that can signify how beautiful it was. Call him a bad child but he was always grateful that his parents separated ways, and that he chose to stay with his father rather than the mother who claimed to love him. Probably why he never believed anything was constant in general, seeing as the only example he saw were his parents. But that ended, apparently.

But something was compelling inside that flower he never thought could be his. The flower was the most beautiful in all seasons, especially during spring and winter. With a celestial atmosphere, the flower grew in him, which only started a shallow seed inside his locked cage. It felt like a breeze and the next thing Kuroo knew, an overflowing abundance of bouquets bloomed in his ribcage. It hurts. Knowing that that flower was yearning for someone else to take care of her. People might classify it as cliché but he never expected the flower to turn in his direction to get rid of the aching roots lodged inside his chest, saving him choking on petals. Sometimes, he questioned which flower she was — there were times she was a red carnation, other times she was a hurtful clove, most of the time she was a light purple lilac. Now, she is a meadow of tulips. It was funny how Kuroo was once a pessimist when it comes to love but looking at him now, professing his love every single day—

It was ironic and baffling.

Damn, right it is. Yet he isn’t complaining.

Sure enough, Kuroo definitely isn’t complaining as he stood in front of the pathway leading to his flower’s home, blinking at how he was led to this situation and at the Kazahana nameplate glinting under the sunlight.

The messy-haired boy only wanted to buy refreshments after practicing his serves in the nearby sports complex when a familiar voice mentioned his name. Of course, it startled him to the point of dropping his cans of watermelon sodas. With a hasty apology to no one, Kuroo straightened himself, only to be face-to-face with Yukimi’s mother. If the gods were giving him the bad luck he deserved after a successful round of practice serves, then this would be it. At first, there was nothing about Kazahana Natsumi that intimidated Kuroo (well, except for the fact that she has a strict air with that blank face of hers) but now, he wanted to turn around, pretend that he wasn’t named Kuroo Tetsurou, and act like he wasn’t dating the woman’s daughter. Schooling his features into an easygoing smile, he bowed a little.

“Ah, Kazahana-san, hello,” Kuroo greeted, a hand behind the back of his head.

“Hello,” Natsumi replied, her eyes glancing down on the number of carbonated drinks clutched in the boy’s hands and his outfit before humming under her breath. “I see you’ve been practicing for your club.”

“Uhm,” Kuroo murmured as he followed the older woman’s stare to his drinks, realizing that he paired his black shirt with a pair of loose shorts over his sports leggings. “Oh, yeah.” He lightheartedly laughed, positioning the cans on his arms before running a hand through his hair (a nervous tick of his). “Tournament season is fast approaching so I have to make do with the rest of summer vacation. I didn’t want my extra practice to overlap with the new semester.”

The older woman nodded, now turning to the open refrigerator, and reaching out for the boxes of flavored milk, banana to be exact, which made Kuroo perk up with a glint in his eyes. “That’s good. I remembered that you were tied with Yuki-chan a lot in the school standing in the past years. Knowing that you can maintain it while being the captain of your club,” Natsumi glanced at Kuroo with a half-smile, getting the boy out of his reverie, “is something to be proud of. Keep up the good work, Kuroo-kun.”

With bright eyes, Kuroo bowed again in front of Natsumi, while his mind was filled with celebratory noises for getting a compliment from his girlfriend’s mother. “Thank you, Kazahana-san!”

A heartfelt laugh erupted from the older woman, her expression not unkindly as she once again opened her eyes from laughing to herself. The confused visage of the teenage boy in front of her was enough to make her laugh again because this ‘friend’ of her daughter really was amusing her at the moment. “I can now understand why my daughter likes you so much,” she tried teasing and sure enough, Natsumi got the reaction she needed when Kuroo looked stunned with his cheeks burning up a shade of scarlet red. She always had a suspicion whenever Yukimi talked about the volleyball club of her school since she started as their manager — her daughter would light up every time she mentions Kuroo and of course, Natsumi could never miss that hint of a smile playing on her daughter’s lips. It was the same smile she saw while Yukimi talked about the things she absolutely adored. “Relax, Kuroo-kun, judging from your reaction, I take it that you like Yuki-chan, too?”

This is an unexpected development, was what Kuroo thought as he gulped down under Natsumi’s mirthful stare. He probably resembled a tense rod right now and the echoing thumps of his heartbeat through his ears weren’t helping him at all. Inconspicuously letting out a sigh, Kuroo unconsciously gave a soft smile, stating, “I really do,” and staring straight through the eyes of the dark-haired woman.

Natsumi couldn’t mask the surprise on her face since she never expected the boy to express his feelings this blatantly yet sincerely. As much as Yukimi always told her that nobody understood or cared for her, there was no doubt that Kuroo paid no mind as he expresses his feelings for her — this young man in front of the older woman was a keeper and it wouldn’t hurt if she would root for him for her daughter. While she regained herself, Natsumi lightly laughed before turning her head to meet the boy’s eyes once again. “How about visiting Yuki-chan right now?”

*

“T—Tetsurou?”

A smiling Kuroo greeted Yukimi as she opened her door after a series of soft knocks, immediately flushing in embarrassment for so many reasons. One of them being her room, which is in the middle of cleaning up after the visit to her therapist. All of her books were stacked on the floor and her clothes were strewn on piled beside them. It was a good thing that the only pieces of clothing she didn’t tidy up yet were all dresses because if not, she would have to cover the messy-haired boy’s eyes. But that wouldn’t be needed since Kuroo’s stare stayed on her the whole time they were standing — until his half-lidded gaze trailed down her neck before bringing his free hand on his face to cover the flush in his cheeks and meeting her eyes again.

“You look pretty, Hana,” Kuroo murmured under his breath.

With an erratic heartbeat, Yukimi looked away with a warm face, her hair lying in loose waves over her chest. She decided to wear one of her black lace camisole tops and shorts because first of all, she didn’t expect Kuroo to show up in front of her door after her appointment with her therapist, and with these clothes, she can move freely as she cleaned up her room. “All of my matching pajamas are in the laundry right now and these are the only clothes I’m comfortable in that wasn’t used for so long.” Cursing her mother’s calendar in her head, the medium-haired girl opened the door wider to let the tall boy in with a smile. “Come in, Tetsurou. Ah, let me carry the snacks.”

Wide-eyed, Kuroo let the short girl take the tray from his hands, letting the door close behind him. As the dark-haired girl straightened herself from placing the tray on her low coffee table, Kuroo followed her further into the room and ducked down to give her a lingering kiss on her cheek, with his arm wrapped around her waist. A mind filled with her presence and chest welcoming her fruity scent, the golden-eyed boy placed his other hand on her hips, turning her to face him before slowly dipping his head until he stopped a few centimeters from her lips. “I swear to God, you’re beautiful, Hana.”

Yukimi wordlessly stood on her tip-toes, her heart pounding when she felt Kuroo’s hands tighten on either side of her waist, and with every rational thought out of her mind, softly planted her lips on his.

The kiss was so flutteringly soft that a good kind of flare erupted inside Kuroo’s chest. With furrowed brows, he pulled her closer to him and continued walking backward until the back of his knees felt the soft plush of her bed. Kuroo traveled his right hand from her waist to her thigh as he sat down on the mattress with Yukimi’s legs on either side of his lap, massaging her skin with light touches. Mixed heartbeats intermingled as the messy-haired boy deepened the kiss with a tilt in his head, urging Yukimi to place both of her hands lightly around his neck. Everything about the girl in his arms at the moment was euphoria enclosed in a caramel-eyed beauty — absolutely beautiful. All of the kisses they shared since he had the guts to finally tell her what he feels was rendering him speechless but this? — it was getting more magical and it sent the blood rushing to his face.

He can feel the curves of her waist, her short breaths and delightful gasps, her eyelashes on his cheeks, her tongue brushing against his — it was all making his heart sing a melody dedicated to her. Kuroo then tangled one hand through her hair, running his fingers through the locks as tenderly as possible. Her hair’s getting longer and it greatly suits her. That aside, everything suits Yukimi, was the fleeting thought passing by his mind. Gasping for air as they parted their lips from each other, Kuroo gave her time to catch her breath by placing his lips on the hollow of her neck, carefully creating a path of open kisses to her collarbone. Suddenly, he felt too hot as he heard the light satisfied exhale coming from her when he grazed his teeth on the top of her chest, with his cheeks now burning in immense heat.

“Tetsurou,” Yukimi gasped, pressing her chest more to him as she felt the messy-haired boy’s kisses now nearing her chest. Caught in a daze, the caramel-eyed girl placed a hand on Kuroo’s jaw, feeling his skin burning hot to the touch, and pressed her lips against his. It was exhilarating and amazing that the golden-eyed boy embracing her at the moment can make her feel an array of emotions in a span of minutes. Through his black shirt, Yukimi could feel the muscles of his shoulders and arms tensing with every centimeter dissipating — no space between the two of them like puzzle pieces.

“Hana,” Kuroo murmured right back, his lower lip brushing against hers, taking her in. The sight of her disheveled hair spilling down her back, her lips swollen a beautiful shade of red, her half-lidded gaze that made him feel loved, the marks he left with his praising kisses, and the strap of her camisole dropping on one shoulder—

“Damn,” he punctuated huskily. “You’re getting more beautiful by the second and I am loving every bit of it.”

Stunning.

Kuroo was a stunning force to be reckoned with and it was pinching Yukimi’s heart. Nobody can make her speechless except for the boy with the vibrant golden eyes, crooked and striped ties, mirthful and loud laughs, and messy hair that was still soft despite its unruly appearance. Smiling out of the sadness she felt from her session with her therapist, Yukimi carefully kissed Kuroo’s forehead, pouring out all of her heartfelt affections through the small act of appreciation. She doesn’t deserve him and all of the things he had done for her all because of that one meeting and not having a clear view of what her future holds. For now, she will relish the times she has with him, even being the manager of the volleyball club and laughing with the coaches and members. With their foreheads pressed against each other, Yukimi muttered, “Thank you for everything, Tetsurou,” a hitched breath and a single tear, “I really appreciate you and I couldn’t put into words how much you make me feel this way.”

Reaching out to wipe the tears on Yukimi’s face, Kuroo reciprocated her smile before pulling her to him as he proceeded to lie down on her bed, with the dark-haired girl curled on his chest. Tightly wrapping both of his arms around her figure and letting his chin rest on the top of her head, the golden-eyed boy affectionately kissed her on the temple and stating, “I’m always here for you, Hana, you can talk to me all you want — I’m all ears when it’s you.”

Yukimi thoughtfully pursed her lips as she clenched her fists on top of Kuroo’s shirt, her face buried in the comforting smell of lavender wafting from the messy-haired boy. Everything was so heavy at the moment and she was so sure nothing in the day would make her feel better. There was this underlying feeling of being broken to the point of not functioning anymore and Yukimi wanted to get rid of that thought by rearranging her room or listening to her preferred genre of music. And right when she thought that every single method of coping wouldn’t work, Kuroo appeared in front of her door (literally) and welcomed himself so casually that it endeared her —forgetting of her troubles the moment his smile greeted her vision. For such an unexpected turn of events in her life, she felt the most secure in the boy’s embrace. Swallowing a knife down her throat and feeling the burn around her eyes, she whispered in the quietest voice she could muster, praying that he will hear her,

“Will you always be there for me?”

It took everything in her not to bawl her heart out like the first interaction they had when she got a reply.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

There she felt guilt blooming inside her stomach, chanting an apology to Kuroo, with her tears now wetting his shirt. The future may be unpredictable but for Yukimi, she has already set it in stone and she decided not to turn back from her word.

*

Kuroo felt scared for a person for the first time in his life.

He thought he was doing an amazing job in making her feel better through their last academic year in high school, especially because he cared for her wellbeing too deeply and the fact that she is an important person in his life. Heck, she is even a priority along with volleyball.

However, the new bottles of her medicine (with different names that he once read in science magazines — even various dosages) were waving like a red flag on her nightstand — all mocking him that he was doing his job abysmally.

And it made him tighten his hold on her as he listened to her muted cries with a heavy heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a lot shorter than my previous chapters bc there are so many requirements and readings that we needed to comply for uni. i hope you had/have an amazing day. stay smiling and always remember you have people who care for you. love you!


	36. TO MY YOUTH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // breakdowns and mentions of suicide.

The first sign was the uniform.

Everybody was complaining about the heat, with the girls opting for shorter skirts and white shirts rather than their standard short-sleeved blouses, while the boys started unbuttoning their white button-downs. It was not only the volleyball club third-years who noticed Yukimi walking down the hallways with black tights under her skirt and the winter uniform (a navy blue blazer and black sweater vest) — almost everyone took a second glance at the aesthetic senior each time she passes by a student with a blank face. Nobody dared ask her why she chose to wear such an ensemble except for her friends in the volleyball club but all they got were the same answers with a faux smile — “it’s too cold for me right now.” Because of this, Yaku wanted to protest that she be in her most comfortable state while resuming the start of the semester but Kai would always pull him away once they noticed how Yukimi would flinch at each word spewed out by the libero.

“Don’t you think it’s been unusual that Yukimi-chan wouldn’t wear the summer uniform? I mean, she was wearing it a while back before summer vacation,” Yaku wondered out loud at lunch a week after the new semester started. It was the same scene as it always had been, the three of them enjoying their lunch either in either classroom or the cafeteria. The light-brown haired boy continued mulling about their manager in deep thought as he munched on the exclusive bread he bought from the canteen. “Hmm. There’s something about her right now that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.”

Kai looked at him from getting a bite of his bento. “Well, we couldn’t exactly ask her right now. She’s in the infirmary all morning, right?” Once Yaku nodded at that, the dark-skinned vice-captain also hummed under his breath, putting down his pair of chopsticks. “But if she’s been experiencing a cold or any kind of sickness right now, we’ll just let her rest from club activities.”

“Has she mentioned anything—? Eh, Kuroo, where are you going?” Yaku gaped at his messy-haired friend who abruptly stood up from his seat. Even Kai sent a questioning glance at their friend for making such a shocking move (as seen from the people occupying the other side of the room who flinched from the sound of a scraping chair).

The jet-black haired boy glanced at his friends with his usual half-lidded stare, his posture slouching more than usual and the corners of his eyes devoid of the mirthful crinkles others usually associate with him. Lately, he hadn’t been talking with Yukimi and the last time that they spent together in such a light atmosphere was in her room. That was weeks ago. After their small indoor date filled with movies, snacks, and warm cuddles, they were still exchanging messages with each other every after practice but starting the first day of the second semester, Yukimi became distant out of nowhere. There wasn’t anything that Kuroo could think of that might have caused the gradually increasing gap that was starting to strain their relationship. Heck, he couldn’t even show the people in their school the amount of affection he has for her because of their current situation.

With a casual smile on his face and one hand snug inside a pocket of his slacks, Kuroo lifted a wrapped bento in front of Yaku and Kai, which he got from below his desk as he was standing up. He rose an eyebrow when he saw how Yaku pursed his lips, a sign that the libero was finding the watermelon-patterned handkerchief amusing. “I know the handkerchief is something a kid will like but,” Kuroo took out his hand from his pocket to point at the bento box like a teacher in front of grade-schoolers, “this is the only thing that reminds me of Hana inside the convenience store.”

“Oh, that explains it,” Kai nodded with a smile. He then took a piece of pork cutlet from his lunch before telling Kuroo, “It’s best if you don’t make her wait then.”

“Yeah,” the messy-haired boy answered, straightening himself while waving goodbye at his friends. As he was about to step outside the sliding doors of their classroom, Kuroo stopped short upon remembering that something was missing. The one thing that he was really excited about giving Yukimi was left on the desk and while he was turning back to the two, Kuroo quickly took the two boxes of banana milk from the table, not forgetting to grumble, “Damn, I forgot these.”

“We were about to tell you,” Kai told him. “Glad you remembered.”

“Ah, thanks,” he hastily stated, once again waving as he jogged to the doors of the classroom. “Eat well, you two!”

“Say hi to Yuki-chan for us!”

The walk to the infirmary was filled with thoughts regarding the sunshine-embodied girl. It wasn’t rare that Kazahana Yukimi would always excuse herself from her classmates, in fact, this was a usual occurrence in the previous years that he had been classmates with the caramel-eyed beauty. The only time she finally showed her genuine smile was when she became the manager of the volleyball club this year. It wasn’t that Kuroo quickly concluded that without any basis but even the people around them noticed how much their school’s golden girl changed in a span of weeks — she was brighter than ever, probably even more than the Solar System combined. And now, all of their efforts were put into a halt when Yukimi once again resorted to keeping to herself rather than reaching out to them, slowly becoming separate from the orbit of celestial bodies that they surely established.

Of course, Kuroo understands her because he felt like that when he was in primary school and he will wait for that time where she will open up that bottle of suppressed emotions to him. Just thinking about what she carries by herself creates a hole inside his chest. It is in no way negative but it physically hurts him that he couldn’t do anything but only be the arms that embrace her every time she sheds a tear. He couldn’t do anything — the only sentence resonating in Kuroo’s mind. Then, there was a picture of the bottles of pills on top of her nightstand.

That made Kuroo stop in front of the infirmary’s doors.

Letting out a deep breath and clearing his mind of the wildest assumptions he could think of, Kuroo painted a small half-smile on his lips before sliding the infirmary’s entrance and entering the cherry-scented white space. He always wondered if there were any medicine-scented air fresheners inside the infirmary and while he was doing so, the sight in front of him made him stop. There on one of the middle beds was the occupant of his sentiments and he couldn’t help but stare while she reads one of the books he bought for her, the bed’s thin blanket draped over her lap. With lightly padded footsteps, Kuroo walked to where Yukimi was concentrating and sat down on the mattress in front of her, his half-smile widening in adoration as she flipped the page with an adorable tiny pout on her lips.

“Hey,” he greeted her with a soft tone, dipping his head a little to catch her attention.

The butterflies engulfing his entire being overflowed when their eyes met and it probably made Kuroo look like a gaping idiot as he stared into the dark-haired girl’s caramel irises. The infirmary was devoid of lights at the moment since the curtains were drawn and the noon’s rays gave her eyes the sparkle that looked like the Moon’s glints on the sea. Utterly stunning — that’s what Yukimi is.

A beautiful smile appeared on the girl’s face, her book now closed with a piece of paper lodged as a bookmark. “Hey, how were the morning classes?” Yukimi asked casually, not trying to dampen the mood surrounding the two of them.

“They were fine,” Kuroo replied, running a hand through his hair, turning it into an even messier state. “The classes earlier could’ve been better if you were there. I don’t have anyone to stare at while listening to the boring lectures our teachers gave us.” He shrugged as he joked, something that also made Yukimi laugh lightly in front of him. It really is a nice look on her after sporting a blank face the whole week, and it was enough to make Kuroo grin. “Oh, by the way, I asked for extra copies of the homework they distributed, and I also made extra notes for you in calculus and literature.”

“I truly appreciate that Tetsurou,” Yukimi smiled. With her eyes gravitating towards the sticking locks of Kuroo’s hair, the caramel-eyed girl carefully reached out a hand to brush her fingers against the boy’s soft yet spiky strands, gently patting the boy’s head.

“Is it bothering you?”

Knocked out of her trance because of the tentative tremble in her boyfriend’s voice, Yukimi hummed questioningly as she quickly turned her head to face Kuroo’s smile. The more she stared at him, the more she discerned how his eyes crinkled in a way that wasn’t his usual one and it pinched her heart, making the small tinge of pain sneak up on her face as pursed lips. It wasn’t his messy hair that bothered her, heck she absolutely loves it on him — it was probably the way she acted since the start of the semester that made him feel as if he was being neglected despite being one of the most important people in her life. Deciding to take the safe route, Yukimi tried asking, “What’s bothering me?” with her inquiry dropping in a whisper to ease the sadness from the boy’s face.

The jet-black haired boy looked down on the rumpled sheets of the infirmary bed, his brows furrowing as he clenched his hand on the wrapped bento box. “My hair,” he answered hoarsely, laughing in disbelief at himself for coming up with both a petty remark and an unbelievable excuse. “I know it’s messy and I know how you hate messy things so,” he then trailed off as his voice became quieter by the seconds, his mind blank from finding reasons to save his slip-up, “never mind—“

“Tetsurou.” Yukimi placed her hand on his jaw, steering him to meet her eyes. “You’re never a bother to me — always remember that. Just,” she paused to regain her thoughts because the more she stared into Kuroo’s eyes, the more they seem to vanish from her mind, replacing them with the fuzzy warmth she felt around the boy, “in all the times where we look at each other, I always found myself smiling and at ease — that already speaks so much with you being here with me. I remember how hard it is struggling with loneliness and,” a deep breath, “anxiety everyday but because of you, I’m feeling strong enough to lift my spirits. You make it so natural for me to be here and be the person I always am. So don’t ever think of yourself as a bother.”

_Hypocrite._

A flash of that word in Yukimi’s mind made her recoil, taking back her hand from the boy’s jaw. However, Kuroo placed his hand on top of hers and held it in place, nuzzling his cheek on the warmth her hand gave him. After relishing the contact of her hand on his cheek, Kuroo dipped his head to place a gentle kiss on her palm, opening his eyes at the same time to welcome the sight of her flushed face. Yukimi swore she heard her pounding heartbeat all because of Kuroo’s half-lidded, melting stare.

Kuroo took all of her in.

He took the time in admiring her and his heart was rejoicing that he can finally do it at such proximity. Words aren’t enough to fully describe how she can make his heart beat solely for her. What he experienced when she is around was so different from the fleeting crushes he had in primary and middle school. Sure, he felt butterflies with his previous crushes but he never felt that strongly towards the people he claimed to be ‘the one he really likes’. It was so different with the girl of black tresses, saccharine melted caramels, and captivating persona that pulled him in at every glance. That talk of having your first love and with it being like a blank slate was true to its words with his Hana — plunging without knowing the outcomes and possibilities. He badly wanted to show her how much he loves her, to remind her that she is such a beautiful person, to begin with, and that her presence should never disappear.

His eyes burned with underlying tears, and upon the realization that he might start crying in front of her, Kuroo blinked them away. “And I’m supposed to be the one comforting you right now,” he laughed lightheartedly. “I thought you hated me these past few days, Hana.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “It was starting to feel like we were back from the start. Me, finding ways to talk to you, and there you are, a few feet away yet so out of my league. It made me think that I did something wrong and if I did, I’m really sorry.”

“I should be the one saying that.” Yukimi, who was struck by how selfish she was, not knowing how everything would affect the people around her, looked down on her lap. Tears started clouding her vision at the thought that this is why she should get better faster — people are getting hurt by her impulsive tendencies.

She should drink all of those pills faster if it meant becoming better.

With a shuddering breath, she opened up while sobbing.

“I’m so sorry I’ve been a bad friend, a bad manager, a bad girlfriend — I’m really sorry, Tetsurou. My mind has been spiraling out of my control and everywhere I turn to, they’re all suffocating to me. People’s eyes and smiles closing on me are so painful that it made me realize that there is no point in becoming what they think about me. Everything is so unclear to me. All I wanted was to get better but why do I still feel this way? They said time will heal this hollowness I feel but why is it becoming deeper that it’s becoming more difficult to breathe? I want to smile without these monsters lurking at every laugh. I just want to be happy because I know,” she paused, coughing in the middle of her cries, never realizing that her hands started clawing on her blazer-covered wrists, “I know,” Yukimi lifted her eyes to meet Kuroo’s pained ones, her hiccups filling in what she was about to say, “I know that everything would be better that way. You wouldn’t have to deal with a broken and moody girlfriend anymore. It’s always been this way since last year — me, carrying this baggage that not even others could tolerate.” Romio’s words echoed inside her mind. “You’re not the burden, Tetsurou, I am.

“And I didn’t mean to hurt you but I keep getting further away from you.”

Kuroo rose his head a little to prevent the tears from dropping on his cheeks as he pulled the crying Yukimi in his arms, embracing her as tightly as he can as if asking her to stay with him. Her sobs were right beside his ear and it took everything in him to not mix it with his own. His right hand was situated on the back of her head, constantly caressing her hair, while the other one was gripping her and pulling her to his chest. Yukimi’s cries are like continuous stabs in his chest and there was nothing he could do but try to let her sobs subside so that she could breathe. What she mumbled next was what made Kuroo bury his face on the crook of her shoulder, dread filling him up like second nature as he pushed the bento box to the side to carefully place her on his lap.

“What’s my purpose in living if I won’t get better in the end?”

*

“I’m sorry for crying on you like that,” Yukimi apologized with a pout as Kuroo gathered a small portion of rice inside the opened bento box and fed it to her with pieces of stir-fry vegetables. “Your uniform is wet now.”

“Don’t mind that,” Kuroo replied, placing the lunchbox back on the mattress to gently pinch Yukimi’s cheek before retaking it to continue feeding her. “Here, have another bite, say ‘ah.’” The caramel-eyed girl continued pouting, which made Kuroo gush with a large smile and bright golden eyes. As much as the girl in front of him didn’t like eating at the moment, he still managed to see this side of her as well — her being adorable without any effort at all. Paired with her red-rimmed yet sparkling eyes, Kuroo couldn’t help but lean forward to brush his nose against hers in the most fluttering way he could do. Once he felt that she relaxed a bit, he went back to presenting the chopsticks with a small piece of chicken wedged between them. “Come on, Hana, just one more bite and I promise I’ll give you the banana milk.”

Without a choice, Yukimi opened her mouth so that Kuroo can feed her the last bite from the lunch he made. “Wait,” she told him, realizing something.

Kuroo, who was now starting to tidy up the bento box, looked up from his job with an expectant hum. “Yeah? Did you not like it? I thought I added enough soy sauce in the chicken’s marinate. I might have to consult Dad later for your lunch tomorrow.” When he faced the wide-eyed Yukimi, he quickly gulped, thinking that the girl might be disgusted with the first bento box he ever made. “Is it that bad that it rendered you speechless or is it another thing that made you this shocked?”

“You made this?” Yukimi muttered, looking back and forth between Kuroo and the bento box, which was about to be wrapped in the watermelon-patterned handkerchief. The messy-haired boy slowly nodded. “I did. I decided to cook lunch for you because you haven’t been eating this week and I wanted to try cooking for once to — you know,” he scratched the back of his head, ruffling his hair even more, “give you snacks and meals every once in a while. I know you’re busy so I wanted to lessen your work because I know you’re going to be tired from constantly fussing over the piling-up schoolwork and the volleyball club.”

The medium-haired girl was still gaping from the new information Kuroo disclosed to her. Feeling the immense emotion she feels solely for him, Yukimi leaned forward, closed her eyes, and kissed Kuroo on the cheek, leaving behind a red-faced jet-black haired volleyball captain. “You’re always surprising me, Tetsurou,” Yukimi stated with a growing smile — the first time in the week. “I’m both so happy and lucky that you’re the one I truly fell in love with. Please don’t hesitate in calling me your girlfriend from now on.”

Then, Yukimi felt the warmest kiss swoop down on her, with Kuroo dipping his head to shower her face with a flurry of kisses that made her giggle, stopping in front of her lips — their breaths intermingling with each other. “I love you,” Kuroo whispered, each words brushing tenderly against her lips in the most flattering way possible.

“I love you,” Yukimi whispered back with a soft smile.

Everything was alright. Everything will definitely be alright. They were with each other after all.

*

A week after, Yukimi stopped coming to school for a whole month.

It felt like the world stopped when Kuroo heard from Nekomata that their manager was admitted to the hospital because of a drug overdose. The noise died down as if he dived underwater. He couldn’t hear Kenma’s dignified shouts trying to get him out of his trance. He couldn’t feel Yaku and Kai when they placed both of their hands on his back to calm his breathing. He couldn’t register that he sat down on the gymnasium’s floor with tears streaming down his face, the entire volleyball team either asking for the hospital’s location or trying to get him back from an unfocused point of view. He felt bile rise his throat at the reason why his Hana was now at the hospital—

Kazahana Yukimi tried taking her own life by downing two bottles of the pills that were supposed to make her better.


	37. SPRING, EARTH, AND IRON CHEERFULNESS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // mentions of suicide.

Natsumi didn’t want to lose her daughter just yet.

It felt like a recurring nightmare when she saw Yukimi lying on her bedroom floor, shaking because of a seizure with her eyes glassy and unfocused at the ceiling dotted with glow-in-the-dark star stickers. At first, she didn’t want to believe her eyes at the image splayed out in front of her but when she saw the empty bottle of antidepressants clutched in her daughter’s hand, she felt like screaming. The older woman immediately went to her daughter who was on the verge of losing her life, shouting her name painfully countless times as if it was a mantra to bring the younger girl back to consciousness. It was getting hard to breathe with the sobs mingling with her voice as her hands sloppily pushed the emergency dial to inform their situation to the nearest hospital, which was thirty minutes away from their neighborhood.

“Yuki-chan!” Natsumi yelled, pulling her daughter closer to her as she waited for the ambulance to arrive in their home, her face wet with tears that seemed to constantly flow. Biting her lip in agitation, she ducked down to place her lips firmly on the crown of Yukimi’s head, murmuring, “Mommy’s here. Everything will be fine. You will be fine.” She wailed out a loud cry that probably alerted their neighbors but she didn’t care, as long as the person in her arms opens her eyes and gives her a much-awaited smile. “Please don’t go to Dad yet. Please, Yuki-chan.”

The sirens of the ambulance were then heard from down the street as the woman tightened her hold on her only daughter. Red and blue colored the front of her house as people placed Yukimi on a stretcher. Natsumi was in a daze as questions flurried around her, asking what drugs her daughter was overdosed in, how many bottles she congested, and what state did she find her. It was testing her control not to cry in front of the people operating the ambulance.

It all gave away when she stepped foot inside the hospital, nurses scrambling as they brought her daughter in the emergency room. This was the second time Natsumi felt weak and speechless, the first one being the accident that involved her husband’s death. She did not cry that time — everything was so abrupt with Haruto that it almost sucks every bit of her strength with just a phone call. But now, she cried in the waiting room and wondering where did she go wrong. It almost felt like reality slapped her for being more occupied with her job than watching over her daughter like the mother that she was supposed to be. Promising to give Yukimi the happiest year went spiraling out of control and she didn’t even get to do things that might have been for the best for the two of them.

It felt like dying seeing her so lifeless. Everything has lost its purpose just losing her husband, and now—

No, Natsumi wasn’t ready for her world to go away just yet.

*

“Do you play volleyball?”

The girl with dull caramel eyes looked up from drawing flowers on the current page of her sketchbook, a single bouquet of lavenders was left unattended just to meet the eyes of an expectant short-haired boy whose face radiated pure happiness. The two of them met just a week ago and now the boy would never leave her side, in school, or their trip home when the dismissal bell rings. At first, the girl was too anxious to function at the abrupt show of harmless social interaction and there were times where she would hasten her pace to leave the boy behind, but of course, he would always catch up to her, saying that he will be her friend after seeing her laugh gleefully when he practiced bumping a volleyball on his forearms.

Daichi really wanted Yukimi, the artsy and smart girl down the street, to be his friend.

“What?” Eight-year-old Yukimi asked in mild surprise, her hands tightening on the pencil as she watched Daichi nod his head fervently.

“Volleyball! Do you play it?” The boy drew a circle in the air like a volleyball, not noticing how Yukimi looked at him with a wary face. As if happy with his handicraft, Daichi placed both of his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, thinking that this would engage his newfound friend in the sport he just discovered a few weeks ago. More like a one-sided declaration of them being friends, seeing as Yukimi never once said that they were. “I saw how you lit up when you caught me practicing in the neighborhood park. I figured it interested you as well and it’s vacant hours right now so it’s perfect timing.”

Yukimi looked away from Daichi and continued sketching the stems of the flowers she recently liked. “It interested me because you were having fun but I don’t want to tire myself out by playing it,” she mumbled with a growing pout before turning her eyes back on the boy in front of her desk. “And why me anyways? We have so many classmates who’ll play with you if you ask them nicely. Can’t you see I’m busy at the moment?”

The brown-haired boy leaned back and placed his hand under his chin, humming in a contemplative manner. With a decisive smile, Daichi once again faced the closed-off Yukimi who was huffing at the crumpled paper when she erased a stray line. “But I want you, Yukimi-chan!”

The crumpled paper now had a dark streak of lead, contrasting with the light pencil strokes decorating the sketch. The noise in the classroom died down as the occupants looked to where the pair was situated, only to find a red-faced Yukimi trying to decipher what Daichi said. After a few seconds of the boy being oblivious of the attention they were gaining, Yukimi suddenly stood up from her seat, took her sketchbook and pencil, and clasped Daichi’s wrist in her hand. Still feeling a bit warm on her cheeks, the dark-haired girl pulled the confused boy until they were in the courtyard bustling with other kids enjoying their vacant hours.

“So you want to play with me, Yuki-chan?!” Daichi couldn’t contain his excitement when Yukimi stopped beside the cherry blossom tree facing the field. “I knew you would be up for it!”

“You can’t just phrase your invitation like that!” Yukimi exasperatedly told him with a flushed face.

“But I really do want you,” the brown-eyed boy mumbled, his eyes never straying from the girl’s adorable yet frustrating visage.

“Sawamura-san—“

“Daichi. Call me Daichi.”

Yukimi rolled her eyes, her sketchbook clutched closed against her chest. “Okay, Daichi.” The said boy nodded with a smile, clearly satisfied with the development, which Yukimi narrowed her eyes at. There was a reason why people didn’t make friends with her. Apart from being quiet, she tended to exhibit snappy behavior at any stranger who would approach her. This Daichi wasn’t an exception. “I’m here now, might as well do what you’re asking for.” When the short-haired boy exclaimed his first whoop, Yukimi continued, “But, seeing as you don’t have a volleyball right now, looks like it will be postponed for another time.”

Daichi could only look at the back of the long-haired girl, carefully watching the ends of her tresses bounce at her every step. Since he saw her back in the neighborhood park, Yukimi would always put her hair in styles that greatly flaunted her cute face every day of the week — one of the reasons why most of their classmates wanted her as a friend the moment she was introduced as a new student in their grade. Who wouldn’t want a pretty girl who looked like she was the star of the class as their friend? But their interest died down when Yukimi implied that she didn’t want any interaction with her classmates. Who could blame her when their classmates were starting to annoy Daichi, too?

Now, Yukimi had her hair in a low half-ponytail and he couldn’t help but think that her gold ribbon was his favorite thing in the world at the moment. With a growing smile, the young boy jogged and followed Yukimi to one of the benches lining the courtyard, comfortably sitting next to her with a grin.

“I thought I told you that I won’t play with you right now because you didn’t have any volleyball?” Yukimi told him without looking up from her newly flipped page, now outlining a new flower she really wanted to draw — tulips.

“You draw so well!” Daichi exclaimed, leaning over Yukimi’s shoulder to see what she has been so invested in. “It’s like you can draw anything!” He then perked up as if the thought he came up with was the most amazing thing right now. “Hey, how about you draw me?!”

“What?”

The brown-haired boy pointed at himself. “Me!” He repeated. “Draw me!”

“I heard you the first time,” Yukimi deadpanned, her attention now turned to the petals of her drawing. “Actually, I don’t know how to draw faces yet. I have to ask Dad about that. He’s the one who can draw people easily.”

A comfortable silence blanketed over the two children, with Daichi becoming fascinated with how Yukimi seemed to effortlessly create flowers without looking at any reference. He heard of the prodigy child in their neighborhood, the daughter of their prefecture’s renowned art restorer. Daichi was always curious about the homeschooled child of the Kazahanas, always lingering in front of their modern house with an expectant gaze, looking out for any sign of a kid his age but she never went out. Until he saw her in the park with an ice cream in hand, eyes lit up every time he bumped the volleyball on his forearms. He couldn’t stop staring at her, making the ball fall on his head, causing him to groan at the unexpected slip-up of embarrassment.

It didn’t matter because Daichi heard her laugh.

Not that mocking kind he always hated on people but it was melodic enough to know that she was genuinely happy. Dressed in brown overalls over a white sweater, first, Daichi thought she was cute under the cherry blossom trees. Pretty the next second when she opened her eyes to smile at him. He then learned that her name could be _Hana-chan_ when a handsome man who had her eyes came to pick her up with a stressed face, claiming that he was worried for her for disappearing on him like that. Daichi figured that it was her father, the way he carried her in his arms as if she was his world.

“You know, flowers really suit you,” Daichi muttered out of nowhere, unaware that Yukimi looked at him weirdly, the girl scooting away from him with narrowed eyes. “Must be because—hey, why are you so far away?”

Once the boy discerned the distance between them on the bench, Yukimi told him, “You’re saying weird things again!”

“I’m telling the truth! It has something to do with your name, you know — Kazahana Yukimi, ‘a flower in the wind’ and ‘beautiful snow’. I didn’t get to say this the first time we became classmates but,” Daichi grinned, mirroring Yukimi’s wide yet glimmering eyes, “your name is really pretty — it reflects you so much!”

“… There you go again!”

Yukimi never really thought deeply regarding her name but throughout the week, what the boy said was the only thing occupying her mind. Daichi still stuck to her like a little puppy and slowly, Yukimi started to soften her guard around him but he was still subjected to her random jabs, both physically and verbally. The boy didn’t mind though, he only wanted her to be his friend and as each day passes, the two of them became inseparable to the point that Daichi now visits her house.

Right now, it was Saturday, and Yukimi’s father was home after a hectic week in the Miyagi Museum of Art and the little girl couldn’t help but feel overjoyed that her dad was free for the following days.

Kazahana Haruto was a man who saw the world as a canvas. Everywhere he turns his head, he always finds each thing as a piece of art, which is why he pursued art restoration when he was in university. People questioned him why he didn’t take Arts as a profession for creating his own work, seeing as he has a way with any medium available. The same thing will always be answered — that art was more than just expressing your thoughts into a blank slate but can pertain to a certain point in history. One of the reasons why Hirayama Natsumi fell in love with him. Aside from that, Haruto can be called both handsome and beautiful. Starting with his long eyelashes that framed his caramel eyes, tall and lean yet muscular stature, and half-smile that can melt others’ walls — he was known to be a subject of people’s interest everywhere he goes.

“Dad?”

“Hmm?” Haruto hummed in front of his canvas, his hands dried with paint. Forgetting that his hands were dirty, running it through the strands of his light-brown hair as he narrowed his eyes on his painting. There seems to be something missing. It’s not the colors since he planned out the color palette before starting. It’s not his subject as well since she was sitting right there a few feet from him. So what was it?

“Do flowers suit me?” Yukimi asked with her eyes on her homework.

Haruto looked at his daughter, who had her face scrunched in concentration. The sight sent a wave of warmth through his chest, making his lips lift in a loving smile. “Come here,” he beckoned his daughter to him, opening his arms wide to welcome her.

“But I’m doing my homework,” Yukimi whined. “If Mom found out I’m not answering, you know she’ll be mad at you, Dad.”

The older man laughed nervously, vaguely remembering the many times he got scolded by his wife for all the times he tried getting Yukimi to do recreational things with him. “But she’s not here right now and doesn’t worry, I’ll be helping you with homework as I take a break from continuing this painting,” he told the little girl, giving her a wink before spreading his arms again. “So come here, Hana-chan.” When Yukimi came down from her chair to walk in his direction, Haruto wrapped his arms around her small figure and placed her on his lap. “Of course, flowers suit you! You’re daddy’s Hana-chan after all.” He then kissed her on the nose and blew on her cheek right after, making the girl giggle.

The two of them shared a toothy grin, with Yukimi breaking it with a question, “Isn’t it weird that you’re calling me ‘Hana’ even though you also have that in your name?”

The light-brown haired man hummed. “It’s not weird for me because you’re like a little flower,” he answered. “Consider it your special nickname, with me the only one calling you this at the moment. But I get a feeling that some people might call you their flower as well in the future and that means they will become important ones in your life. I can’t wait for the time where you’ll introduce them to me.”

“You think I’ll gain more friends, Dad?” Yukimi whispered, looking down on her father’s paint-splattered overalls. “Other than Daichi?”

“Of course!” Haruto exclaimed, adjusting his daughter on his lap so that they were face to face now. “I already know it. My little girl is so cute so how can they not make friends with you?” Hearing the little girl in his arms giggle again was enough for him to be sentimental. “One day, there will be a group of people who will care for you other than me, your mom, or Daichi-kun. It might be right now in primary school or when you’re in high school or even university, we may never know. I even found my best friends when I was in college and that’s a pretty long time.” When he saw that Yukimi slightly tilted her head in curiosity, he smiled. “What I’m saying is, life isn’t short for you to say that you won’t gain important people anymore. There are more things you haven’t discovered yet and that’s enough for you to keep on living.”

“Okay, Dad,” Yukimi answered, her eyes bright as she stared at her father in adoration. “I’ll live my life to the fullest and do things that will make me happy. That way I will get to know more people.”

He stopped and stared at Yukimi’s adorable chubby face before diverting his gaze at the painting behind her. It was a portrait of his daughter while she was doing her homework, the pinks and oranges illuminating her figure, giving it an oneiric atmosphere. At that moment, he realized what was missing as he turned back to meet Yukimi’s eyes. “I think I know what was missing in the painting. I’m thinking of adding your favorite flowers.”

That portrait was one of the first paintings Haruto did for his family. For many years, his studio was filled with family pictures all painted by him. It made their house warmer than it had been. Through the years, Yukimi grew to break her walls gradually, and yet she never gained new friends after accepting that Daichi will keep hanging with her until she claimed to his friend. Those paintings were now added with photographs of Daichi and Yukimi since Haruto was too busy with his work at the museum, only opting for photography every time there was a significant event for both kids. Which led to one of those days when they were in their second-year in middle school—

“Yuki-chan, you can do it!” Daichi assured her as the said girl prepared for the relay race by tightening the hair-tie holding her hair in a ponytail. “I’m going to be cheering for you the loudest so watch out for that.”

Now tying the ribbon signifying their class around her head, Yukimi lightly sighed. “I don’t get why people listed me as one of the runners,” she murmured with a cross face. “I’d probably make the class last in the race.”

“You’ll be fine,” the short-haired boy reassured.

“Says the guy who led the class into winning first place in a lot of segments,” Yukimi deadpanned, narrowing her eyes at her best friend’s buff figure for a second-year junior high student. “I swear, you are a machine for doing that.” She then groaned as the committees informed each class that the relay race is starting. “Can we switch minds right now? That way you get to be controlling my movements and I won’t get tired by running around the oval.”

“No can do, Yuki-chan,” Daichi replied, crossing his arms across his chest. “It’s a good thing you’re not the anchor, you know. I’d really worry for you if they picked you as the last runner.”

“I’m eternally grateful to Futo-san for volunteering as the anchor,” Yukimi stated, overjoyed at the fact that one of their classmates willingly added their name as the last runner in the relay race. If not, Daichi would swoop this opportunity to add her name in that position instead of their sports-inclined classmates. All the talk of improving her physical abilities, which was utter bullshit because Yukimi couldn’t run in a race to save her life. But every person should participate in the sports festival so Yukimi had no choice but to accept her fate and run breathlessly to not get blamed by their class. “I’d die of the pressure if it were me.”

“We wouldn’t want that.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that. I still need to go to university.”

“Exactly. Oh, don’t forget to get a job, too, we need you alive for that.”

“If our class wins a place,” Yukimi thoughtlessly told Daichi, her gaze set on a tall boy with curly black hair laughing with his friends. “Remind me to confess to Hayashi-san.”

Surprised, Daichi turned to his best friend, not believing the words that came from her mouth. “Are you sure about that, Yuki-chan?”

“It’s better to let him know what I feel so that this burden on my shoulders will lessen,” she replied, smiling sadly while turning her head to look at Daichi’s worried face. “I don’t what to look pathetic for wishing that he will look my way for once.” Laughing to herself, the long-haired girl fiddled the ends of her ponytail, bitterly remembering that Hayashi indirectly rejected her one time. “I think I’ll stop liking him once I confess. Wipe that look on your face, Daichi! I’m not going to be hurt this time.”

“You always say that, Yuki-chan,” Daichi told her with furrowed brows, taking light steps until he was right in front of her. He placed both of his hands on her arms before giving her one of his talks that Yukimi was expecting. “Do you remember last year when you liked this guy from the baseball club? Do you remember that your reason for confessing was the same as your reason for confessing to Hayashi right now? This worries me, Yuki-chan, because no matter how much you tell me you’re not hurting this time, you end up crying your eyes out in my room. In the end, I’m the one who’s going to take care of you and buy you your favorite food. So I’m asking you now — are you sure about this?”

Smiling from the concern her childhood friend gave her, Yukimi covered one of Daichi’s hands with her own. “Yes, I’m sure about this,” she answered decisively. “You know that you can’t convince me once I have my mind set on things.”

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes. Silence fell on them, with the loud background noise brought by the festival acting as their instrumental as they stared at each other. It was hard to look away from her eyes, because as much as he claimed to be a platonic part of her life, Daichi always found them pretty. The way her irises glinted and turn a light shade of brown against any source of light. And her eyelashes are also long, which gave her an ethereal air. It took all of his strength to fix his gaze on the clear sky above them. Taking a deep breath, Daichi could only give Yukimi a small smile, squeezing her arms affectionately. “Guess I’ll buy some banana milk and cakes along the way home, am I right?”

“Hey, you’re already concluding that I’ll get rejected,” Yukimi laughed, playfully slapping the boy’s chest. “That’s not fair!”

When Daichi opened his mouth to rile her up, even more, one of their classmates called out, “Hey, Sawamura, stop chatting up with your girlfriend! Kazahana-san, mind if we borrow him? The tug of war is about to start.”

“Here they go again,” Daichi muttered lowly but loud enough that Yukimi can still hear it.

“You always make it sound like dating me is a bad thing,” the dark-haired girl grumbled.

“That’s because it is. I know you. Your boyfriend will probably complain every day.”

“Way to hurt my feelings,” Yukimi drawled, lightly pushing him to where the tug of war team was waiting. Thinking that she should tease him and the others some more, she schooled her features in a faux warm smile. “As your girlfriend, I don’t want to take too much of your time so go ahead and win a gold medal for the class, Sawamura-san.”

“I hate you.”

“Likewise.”

Daichi jogged backward to shout, “Oh, and do your best in the relay!”

Yukimi cupped her hand around her mouth to yell back, “Of course, my feelings are at stake here!”

In the end, Yukimi’s relay race ended up winning first place and Daichi’s tug of war contest ended up in the other class’ favor. Thinking that it would be fun to let her best friend wear the gold medal she earned (because for once, running in a race didn’t make her trip in her own feet and she managed to pass the baton without any hitch or worries), Yukimi and Daichi gained a couple of photos from Haruto’s camera with that get-up. Of course, once his contest ended, the short-haired boy immediately ran to where the relay race was and shouted for Yukimi’s name as she ran around the course. During the break in the festival, Yukimi got rejected again and somehow she didn’t cry for the first time.

In fact, she felt relieved for once, thinking that with Daichi by her side, her life would no doubt be filled with beautiful memories.

*

Kenma’s chest was pounding with his loud heartbeat when he decided to visit the hospital. Hospitals weren’t his most favorite place in the world. The smell of antiseptic wasn’t always sitting right with him even though he rarely visited these kinds of places in his life. Aside from that, he could remember the first time the volleyball club visited and it made the mood of their group die down by a lot just by stepping inside and asking where Yukimi’s room was. The first-years were dejected, who wouldn’t be? They were all affected by the news, especially the person who told him that he was going with the setter to visit. His eyes kept glancing worriedly at Kuroo who was clutching a basket of fruits in his hands beside him.

Kuroo didn’t go with the club the first time they visited their manager. Their captain was advised to go straight home because he wasn’t in a good situation the moment Nekomata told them of the girl’s attempt. The third-year was so lifeless the following days, always messing up in practice to the point that both coaches announced that there will be no practices for the following days because all of them were in shock with what happened. They need the time off, to be honest even though the preliminaries for the Spring InterHigh were fast approaching.

The signs were right there.

So why was it so abrupt that they couldn’t prevent it from happening?

“Kuroo, we’re here,” Kenma informed the messy-haired boy when he noticed that his childhood friend didn’t know which room she was in. Before knocking on the door, the two-toned setter looked at his friend in the eye. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kuroo replied in a hoarse voice, face blank and set forward. “I just need to see her right now.”

Letting his answer slide, Kenma knocked on the door and waited patiently until Natsumi opened it for them. Bowing a little at the older woman, the pair walked to the hospital bed carrying Yukimi. As always, Yukimi’s mother would go out to give every visitor some privacy with their time with her daughter and Kenma was thankful for that because he could tell that Kuroo was about to break when he laid his eyes on the still unconscious girl.

“You can talk to her, I’ll be here playing my games if it makes you uncomfortable,” Kenma told him with pursed lips, already taking out his gaming console from his bag the moment he sat down on one of the chairs in the room. A nod was all he received and that was the sign for Kenma to be immersed in the world presented by his screen.

Words weren’t needed when Kuroo sat right beside Yukimi’s hospital bed, roaming his eyes on her sleeping mien. Bringing his hand to his face, Kuroo leaned forward, placed his elbow on his knee, and covered the side of his face with his hand, hiding the fact that he was crying from Kenma. His throat was burning and the next thing he knew, stray tears escaped and dripped wet lines on his cheeks. He tried containing his sobs by biting his lip, tightening his grip on his forehead. With a downturned gaze, the golden-eyed boy reached a hand to hold her limp one, rubbing his thumb on the back of it. Kuroo brought his gaze once again on her oneiric visage, his chest painfully constricting and yet that didn’t stop him from affectionately kissing her hand.

“I love you, Hana, please wake up.”

No, Kuroo isn’t ready for his flower and world to go away just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaa i finally updated after a week,,, midterm exams have officially ended and i wanted to celebrate it by posting this chapter. i hope you have an amazing day ahead !! thank you for all the support and love you're giving this fic.


	38. FLOWER-AND-FRUIT-SCENTED CONNECTIONS.

“I told you, you don’t have to trouble yourself into feeding me.” A smile brightened the room. “My hands are not injured, Tetsurou.”

Kuroo laughed, the familiar sound echoing through the hospital room and making the medium-haired girl let out a few giggles as well. “I just want to feed you this time, that’s all,” he replied, taking a spoonful of the egg fried rice he tried mastering early in the morning and hovering it in front of the girl reclining on the pillows. “The last time I did this to you was a month ago.” He then grinned, showing how happy he was through the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. “Can’t a guy just miss his girlfriend so much?”

It was a month now and Yukimi was scheduled to be released the next day and let her have the rest she needed in her home. Their volleyball club, as Kuroo told her, had another training camp with the Fukurodani group along with the country bumpkins they were all so fond of. Upon hearing the news from the girl’s mother, Karasuno’s captain finally visited her in the hospital the first night of the training camp with Kuroo accompanying him, knowing that he lived miles away and this was the only chance Daichi got to visit his childhood best friend. Kuroo told her that was the first time he had seen the strong captain cry and aside from the fact that it surprised him, Kuroo couldn’t help but shed a few tears as well. It was as if he witnessed Daichi crumble in the cherry-scented closed space of the hospital room.

“Is there something on my face? Am I that handsome that I got you speechless?” Kuroo joked with a prominent glint of joy in his golden eyes, making them shine under the tangerine glow brought by the sunset. It made Yukimi’s throat lodge with a variety of emotions that her mind was gathering in the days she was finally conscious. Then, Kuroo’s face changed into a softer mien at the star-struck expression on Yukimi. He reached out a hand to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing on the apples of her cheeks and head tilted slightly to the right. “Hey, care to tell me what you’re thinking of?”

“I never wanted to die.”

Yukimi told him, not looking away from his eyes. “I never intended for this to happen. I thought,” the girl let out a shuddering breath, taking Kuroo’s hand from her face and holding it on her lap, trailing her fingers softly over his palm, “I thought that I could be happier, better even, if I swallowed every single one of them. That was promised to me by my therapist. I remember having an episode before I downed all of them and there was a sudden thought of going to my Dad for just a second before I started losing consciousness.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks for the first time in a month yet she never took her gaze away from Kuroo. “I was scared. Scared that I could’ve died if Mom found me too late. Scared that I never get to say my thanks to the volleyball club members and coaches if I decided to give up midway. Scared that I will never get to see you again if I didn’t wake up.

“For once in my life, I never thought about dying. And it’s all because of you. In your tiniest actions, I was given clues that everything wouldn’t be so bad. Tetsurou, you made me remember that life is worth living and that’s all it takes for me to give living a second chance. Actually, by doing that, I have to make sure I won’t trouble anyone as I take more sessions with my therapist.

“So please don’t get mad at what I’ll request from you right now.”

*

“She wants to break up with me.”

Kenma stopped reading his Japanese Literature notes to stare at Kuroo with wide eyes and a slacked jaw, something he hasn’t done in a long time. His mouth opened and closed, his eyes even blinking rapidly in between his speechless state from what his childhood best friend told him. There was no way that could be true. Yukimi would never break up with Kuroo. Kenma has always seen them in a scenario where the couple would last until they were married and have kids that the setter could spoil with some gaming consoles or toys. But the longer he stared at the sight of the messy-haired boy in his room, the more it dawned at him that he wasn’t lying at all. All Kenma could think of as a response was—

“Oh, no,” he muttered without thinking much and the look he received from Kuroo was something he never gets to see in all his years of being friends with the rambunctious taller boy. It was a look he wore proudly every time Kuroo relays his stories about the girl or drags him to exercise on weekends. “I mean, what did you tell her? Did you actually say yes?”

Kuroo huffed, eyes becoming teary at the thought, which Kenma prayed to every deity that his glassy eyes wouldn’t lead to a blabbering mess that could alert both of their parents. The messy-haired boy rarely cried and if he does, Kenma doesn’t know what to do but stare at him helplessly with a pack of tissues in his hand. “Of course, I told her I don’t want to break up with her even if she laid out all the reasons why she wanted to. They are reasonable but why is she thinking that she could end this between us so easily like she’s the only one in our relationship?” He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m never letting her go. Not this time. I have enough of catching glimpses of her in the classroom, not knowing when I can talk to her again.”

“Wasn’t there a saying that you should let people go if you love them so much?” Again, that look coming from Kuroo. “I’m just saying what I hear from people so stop looking at me like that.”

There was a pause coming from both sides of the room and Kenma took this as an opportunity to flip through his notes again. He was supposed to be studying at this hour but with Kuroo inside his room moping, he wanted to fling his notebooks to the window and thought that he will accept his fate of failing the test tomorrow. There was a murmur coming from Kuroo and the two-toned boy curiously yet aggravatingly looked up from highlighting an important part of his readings. Kenma swore he will be answering his friend’s woes in tomorrow’s test — “ _What is the significance of song and music in the text?_ ”, Kenma’s answer would be _My best friend is singing out his heartbreak which can be related to what the main character has experienced_.

Yeah, he will totally fail his test.

“She will quit the club if we won’t break up.”

“What?” Kenma exclaimed.

“It’s either me or the club. Her mother was the one who told her to decide between the two. She was advised to drop all club activities to have more sessions with her therapist. But Hana doesn’t want to stop being the club’s manager and by being a part of us, she told me that I’m still there.”

The second-year pursed his lips, not finding the words that he should reply. He could only go back to his notes, scribbling the important kanji found in his readings and figuring out their etymologies to pass the time. Of course, a couple of minutes of silence was gnawing at him because he could hear Kuroo sniffling now and then. It must suck that when you finally have the girl of your dreams, only to have her dump you after a few weeks of a happy relationship. “So what are you going to do? Yukimi-san is essential to the club. Without her, the others will—“

“I know,” Kuroo interrupted, fiddling with his phone, his heart pounding painfully against his chest. “Guess you’ll just see what my answer is during our afternoon practice this coming Monday.”

*

Going back to school was overwhelming for Yukimi and she was left staring in space in front of the show lockers’ entrance of their school, her hand tightly gripping the straps of her shoulder bag. One reason why she was nervous was that her mother informed the faculty and the guidance counselor about her situation, which was the most natural thing to do when your daughter attempted in taking her own life. Of course, while she was replacing her outdoor shoes with her indoor ones, she could feel a lot of stares in her back, stabbing her with clear messages and rumors. Putting a stray lock behind her ear and cursing her hair for growing longer by the days, Yukimi walked away from the lockers and made a straight path towards the third floor.

Her heart was pounding with nerves as she grew closer to their classroom. After that phone call last night from the boy of crooked smiles and ties, she was surprised that she didn’t shed a tear — most likely because it created a hole in her chest after Kuroo told her those two statements that she was hoping he wouldn’t say. Everything was planned out. Yukimi already talked to Komorebi Hikari, the first-year that was supposed to be the vice-manager of the club, and the younger girl accepted the trial position with her voice trembling with excitement on the other side of the call. Yukimi was supposed to quit the club and stay as Kuroo’s girlfriend while being under the watchful eyes of her therapist, who vowed to make the girl’s situation better by adding more sessions. She would still visit the club from time to time although she wasn’t their manager by name since it was sure that Hikari would inherit the position after the first-year’s initial standing as an observant.

And now, she was meeting the golden eyes of the boy who made her life better.

It was a rare sight, Kuroo arriving earlier than her. As far she remembered it, the messy-haired boy always arrived when everybody in their class gradually filled their room. His half-lidded eyes never glanced away from her, even as she paused for a moment by the intensity of his gaze, which sparked a flash of concern on the boy’s face. Now she was really cursing the length of her hair because the more she took a glimpse of Kuroo’s face, it looked like he was showered by Cupid’s rain of silver arrows. Yeah, silver. He will eventually grow out of that phase now that he said the words that managed to cut up the string that connected them aside from being in the same club.

“ _Hana, I think your idea is great. You know, breaking up.”_

There was also a part in her that knew he would give his answer like that. He always wanted what’s best for the club and he saw how vital Yukimi’s presence is to his members, as seen from their almost appalling improvements because of her observations. As Yukimi expected of him, he chose the club, which made her throat clog up with overflowing emotions, telling her to hastily walk through the gaps of the desk and give Kuroo a long-awaited kiss. But she masked her face clear with what she felt for him, giving him a smile that made him widen his eyes.

“Good morning, Tetsurou,” Yukimi greeted and Kuroo felt like everything dissipated except for her.

As Yukimi sat down at her desk, Yaku made himself known behind Kuroo by saying, “Come on, man, don’t leave Yuki-chan hanging like that,” and making the latter jump in his seat, the hand holding his chin sliding abruptly on the wooden table. The shorter boy snickered, leaning down to rile Kuroo up, “Your girlfriend is sitting in front of you and you can’t form a response? Well, I can’t blame you, I’d also be mesmerized if my girlfriend is Yukimi-chan.” It was working because the look Kuroo gave him was becoming similar to when the captain was blocking in games. Then, Yaku heard someone call his name. “Yeah, yeah, I’m lending you my homework. Oh, and good morning, Yukimi-chan!”

“Good morning, Yakkun,” Yukimi replied with a smile.

Yaku had a huge smile on his face after Yukimi called him by his nickname, leaving behind Kuroo. The messy-haired boy then sighed and reached a hand down inside his bag, pulling a small bottle of banana milk, and rolling it in his hand while taking glances at the dark-haired girl. The reason why he came early was that he stood next to her desk and contemplated if he should leave the bottle of milk anonymously on top of her table. That didn’t go as planned because he chickened out. Now, he carefully tapped Yukimi on her shoulder and inhaled sharply when she turned around curiously, her eyes drawing him in and leaving him speechless.

“Uh,” he cleared his throat, “good morning, Hana.” Kuroo then gestured at the bottle of banana milk in his hand with his eyes. Why was he acting like his first-year self when he first started talking to her? Maybe this was the effect of breaking up with someone, the awkwardness. Well, Kuroo never knew what to feel and say because this was his first relationship in the entirety of his life. “Here.” He handed her the banana milk, not meeting her eyes as she gingerly took the bottle from him. Kuroo swore his heart sped up from that slight brush of her fingers on his hand.

Yukimi was relieved that Kuroo decided to treat her the same even though they weren’t labeled as a couple. She definitely missed these times where he would casually place a bottle of banana milk on her desk, give her candies when she was becoming bored in classes, or even taking her to a nearby café to study for an upcoming test. One month in the hospital and a visit from him every week wasn’t enough and most of them were done while she was still unconscious. She felt guilty for dangling her relationship and the club in front of him as if it would be easy for him to choose between the two most important things in his life (Kuroo’s words). In fact, Yukimi was glad he chose the club rather than maintaining their relationship, which she doubts would last since they were still in high school.

Resisting the urge to kiss him on the cheek as thanks, Yukimi gave a close-lipped smile. “Thank you, Tetsurou. You really made my day with this.” She rose the bottle of banana milk, following it with a grin.

It was like going back to the starting line and all they had to do was wait for each other – hoping that the Fates will make their string connect once more before it was too late. This was the thought passing through Kuroo’s mind as his gaze caught Kagami Romio looking at Yukimi from the corner of his eyes, the messy-haired boy’s heart pinching a familiar tug that he assumed would be away for good. The flowers are clogging up his throat and all he could do was stare at the back of the girl who caused them as he buried his head in his arms, waiting for the bell indicating the start of class.

*

“Lev, stop pulling me,” Hikari whined at the taller boy as he dragged her from their classroom towards the direction of the gymnasium. The moment the auburn-haired girl told her friend (the closest friend as Lev would point out) that she will be observing the volleyball club and see if it serves as her future one in the next two years in high school, Lev was jumping in joy. He was one of the people who begged her to be with him as the new meat in the club but she rejected him the moment she saw how ugly he was pretending to be cute. “I can walk on my own, you beanpole!”

“But this is really great news, you know?! You being the new manager of the club will be a blast once you get to know the other members! Ah, I’m so excited!” Lev was babbling at this point as he continued pulling the shorter girl like she was a bag of gym clothes.

“That’s a lot of exclamation points there, buddy,” Hikari muttered under breath but she quickly discerned again that her pea-brain friend doesn’t have a plan in letting her go, as seen from their scenario at the moment which gained quite the audience. However, their classmates could only sigh and shake their heads at the sight, clearly used to the two doing questionable shenanigans every other day. “Hey, stop pulling me! You’re causing a scene right now, Lev!” She then groaned. “Why are you my friend again?”

“That’s because I’m the only one who can put up with your snappy attitude and besides I needed the company,” Lev happily replied as if he was reminiscing these as memories from his previous life. It doesn’t suit him at all, Hikari noted, he looked like he was constipated while closing his eyes trying to remember. “People are so afraid of me and you’re actually the only one who wasn’t. I mean, we go to the same middle school. Of course, we’re bound to be together even in high school. In fact, this is an upgrade because you never talk to anyone that time except for that one girl—“

“Lev,” Hikari stopped him, now really stopping in the shoe lockers with a deadly glare painted on her face and directed to the silver-haired boy. “Please don’t mention her. I don’t want my day to be ruined just by mentioning that she’s the only friend I had in junior high.” Her gaze gravitated towards Lev’s hand still clutching her wrist. “Now let me go.” She enunciated every word, which might have traumatized Lev since he backed away from her and planted his body on the shoe lockers, trying to get away from the infuriated girl. Hikari rummaged through her shoe locker and replaced her indoor shoes with her low-cut sneakers, hoisting her bag up her shoulder right after. “Well, come on, I thought you’re excited that I’m the trial manager of the volleyball club?”

“I was excited!” Lev exclaimed, hastily putting on his black shoes and slamming his locker shut before following his small friend to the gym. “Until you had to go borderline Amazon on me! That was scary, Hikari!”

“Wow, and whose fault was that?”

“You know what, I’m sorry!”

Komorebi Hikari and Haiba Lev were an odd pair.

They both came from the same junior high and yet they never actually came across each other even in the hallways. What Lev said was true, that Hikari only kept a single friend through three years of being in middle school, in contrast to the green-eyed hyperactive boy who basically knew everybody because of his easygoing nature. The first time they had a full conversation was when Lev noticed a familiar face inside his classroom, which led to him openly staring at the poor girl every chance he got. It was extremely uncomfortable on the auburn-haired girl’s part since he even made his way into sitting in front of her while she was eating her lunch in their classroom. All because he was trying to figure out who she was and why she was sparking something in his memory. That was what pushed the two of them to become friends. More like, Lev announcing that he was friends with Hikari in the middle of lunch break.

Hikari was supposed to be joining the volleyball club with Lev at the same time. Aside from the fact that he looked like a donkey mimicking a kitten, the girl’s parents were always on the stricter and authoritarian side of things. Instead of being the club’s second manager, Hikari became a member of the Mathematics club, a feat that Lev was in shock of. As much as she loves the subject and the fact that she managed to get full marks on it, she really wanted to have fun. That wouldn’t be so in the case of the Komorebi household. Their eldest daughter had to be perfect. This is why she kept being the trial member of the volleyball club a secret from her parents while still balancing it out with her role in the Math club.

“Ah, I should change in the clubroom first, I think I’m the only one not practicing since I reasoned out that I’ll be bringing you in,” Lev told her, planting his hands on her shoulders and pointing the entrance to the main gym with a definite nod. “That’s where everybody is at. _Kirei-_ senpai should be there by now so that you will feel more comfortable with the others. I’ll be right back, Hikari!”

With that, Lev vanished from her side in an instant, making Hikari groan (something that she did often whenever the energetic boy was around). “If it weren’t for him actually providing enjoyable company, I wouldn’t be here.”

As she was face to face with the opened sliding doors, the auburn-haired girl hesitated for a moment. The squeaks of the volleyball sneakers and the smack of skin against the rubber surface of the balls made Hikari question if this was really the right setting meant for her, an unfit person whose sports experience was playing chess against her schoolmates in junior high (and that ended rather colorfully, note the sarcasm since her classmates pushed her to play in the empty slot). There are just people who can be seen being inside a gymnasium, playing their heart out with any sport they held passion for, and Hikari wasn’t one of them. She was more of an art kind of person (more on buildings and sceneries instead of people) and being rebellious against her parents.

Never in her days in high school could she envision herself frolicking with volleyball players.

“Oh, you’re here,” a familiar voice that sent a blush on her face rang near the entrance, igniting her heart to speed up its dance of beats. True enough, there was Yukimi in the Nekoma manager uniform standing with a notebook. Heavenly was the right word to describe her with her hair tied up in a ponytail and sporting a fitting shirt. “I was beginning to worry that Lev scared you off.”

Pure bliss came in the form of her laugh.

Hikari shared a few awkward chuckles here and there, a hand scratching the back of her head. “He has that effect on some people but it’s a good thing I’m unfazed by it, Kazahana-senpai.”

Yukimi brightened at that and quickly glanced at where the coaches were situated in the gymnasium, engrossed in the practice drills everyone was so focused on. “That’s amazing to hear, Komorebi-san, I should tell the coaches that you’re here. You can come to the gym, it would be rude to leave you at the entrance for so long.” The older girl then pointed at some of the vacant chairs a few feet away from the coaches. “You can sit there while I tell them about your arrival. Then, you can introduce yourself to others. I hope you’re comfortable with that.” With a nod coming from Hikari, Yukimi let out a relieved sigh. “The members are an exciting bunch, to phrase it lightly.

“Okay, senpai.”

Looking around the gymnasium, Hikari could tell that the school gave more than the standard for it to be established. From what Lev told her, there are a lot of vacant rooms in this sort of auditorium and there was even a built-in gym for the members to do their exercise routines in, which was quite high-end. As Hikari admired the structure of the building, she unknowingly met the gaze of a heavily breathing member of the club. He was on the shorter side of the members but still taller than her if she could estimate it. His hair was dyed blonde and was already showing his dark roots. What made her not look away from his curious eyes was the fact that he seemed familiar to her yet she can’t pinpoint why. Now she is starting to sound like Lev.

“What made you sound like me?”

Hikari jumped, looking up to shift her attention to the expectant boy in front of her. “You scared me, Lev,” she told him, kicking him on his leg, making him clutch his limb in despair. “Stop doing that!”

“But you were murmuring along the lines of sounding like me!” Lev cried out, catching the attention of the others occupying the large space.

Hikari quickly bowed in her place as an apology for interrupting the practice drills, the main culprit standing stiffly under the stare of the team captain, but Hikari was startled the next second when Yukimi waved them over to where the members are starting to gather in a huddle. All eyes were on the pair, more specifically on her, and that was enough to turn around, get her bag, and dash home. When she felt a slight nudge from her arm, Hikari looked up to meet Lev’s smile and suddenly she felt comfortable. If Lev felt safe with them, then she should be. Standing in front of the boys taller than her father, Hikari swallowed the nervous lump preventing her voice from coming out before bowing lowly.

“My name is Komorebi Hikari and I will be helping around Kazahana-senpai as a temporary vice-manager,” she introduced herself, satisfied that her voice didn’t waver under the stares of these strangers. “I hope we’ll get along with one another.”

Nekomata laughed happily. “Please take care of us, Komorebi-san, and it’s nice that Yukimi will have another set of hands that will keep the boys in line.”

“I’m glad that we have another member as well, Coach,” Yukimi replied with a light chuckle. Hikari noticed that the scary jet-black haired boy beside the pretty manager only took a glance at her before fixing his eyes on the caramel-eyed beauty next to him, almost as if he wanted to take her hand. Apparently, Hikari wasn’t the only one who noted this because Yukimi met his stare and brushed a finger against his elbow. This must be the friend waiting for Yukimi when she first sought out Hikari. “Hey, captain, say a few words to the new manager.”

“Oh,” the messy-haired boy exclaimed, looking Hikari right in the eyes. “Kuroo Tetsurou.” A grin that screamed he was not someone to easily mess with. “I’m the captain of these nincompoops. Of course, I’m calling them this out of the compassion and affection in my heart.”

“Liar!”

“Shut up, Yakkun.”

“We all know _Kirei_ -senpai is the only one you’re not calling a nincompoop.”

“Tora,” the two-toned boy called out in a soft-spoken voice that Hikari found intriguing.

“Well, Yamamoto is not wrong.” Kuroo looked at Yukimi with soft eyes and a small smile, something that isn’t fit with that kind of build and face, at least for Hikari. It was a surprise to see such a rough and handsome person express something other than his scary countenance. “Hana is a gem and the one who cares for them. I’m just supporting her.”

“Thank you, Tetsurou,” Yukimi smiled, her hand brushing against the messy-haired boy’s in the most endearing way possible. “Now that the captain started the introduction, the others will have their turns in welcoming you, Komorebi-san.”

All of the introductions definitely made an impression on the first-year manager. There was the libero, named Yaku, who vibrantly offered to be a good senior to her throughout her stay in the club and also promising that she can approach him any time of their practices. The vice-captain was also kind, Hikari noted, and she suddenly felt like there was also a sane person in this room aside from the coaches and Yukimi. The vibrant and silent second-years made her smile with their introductions, almost laughing out loud at the joke Fukunaga blurted out and occasionally stepping back at how Yamamoto vowed to protect her from the wolves lurking now that the volleyball club gained another pretty manager. The first-years were all faces she saw in their hallways, even talking to one of them from time to time because of Lev. She could already tell that her closest group in the club will be the first-years, all waving at her in varying intensities.

The last introduction made her stop, her mind reeling at the familiarity this Kozume Kenma brought to her. Then, a flash of a rainbow and the mellow blue of the eco-bags in the nearby department store made her inhale sharply. It wasn’t only that. The scent of apples also lingered in her mind like the perfume her friend wore in middle school or the watermelon scent Yukimi carried like a blanket of comfort.

“It’s you. You’re the one who lent me an umbrella last year and gave me a box of strawberry chocolates.”

“Eh?!”

“Kyanma, I didn’t know about this?!”

“How dare you make a move on a pretty girl before me, Kenma?!”

“Good job.”

“Here they go again.”

“At least they’re lively, Kai!”

Amidst the chaos, a pair of golden eyes stayed on bright cinnamon-brown — both of the owners’ cheeks hot from embarrassment, skin prickling with the remnants of a storm, and pulse jumping for no reason that they couldn’t easily name. Curiosity for the gilded gold while interest for the earthy cinnamon. It was a mix that’s perfect for each other, already creating connections in the huge gymnasium.


	39. A SPARKLING SKY OF SHOOTING STARS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning that this is unedited ,,, hhhhhh i will edit this first thing in the morning !!
> 
> happy reading !!

“I’m dating someone,” Natsumi opened the conversation with such a casual tone that made Yukimi choke on her kimchi. The dark-haired woman let out a gasp when she realized that her daughter was teary-eyed at the spiciness from the kimchi. “Are you alright?!”

Suddenly, the dinner tasted bitter on Yukimi’s tongue as her gaze never lifted from her plate while her mother took out a box of banana milk and poured a glass for her daughter. She already had hints that her mother was currently seeing someone. The lingering perfume that was so musky and staying strong on her mother’s unscented blazer once a week. The flashing smiles every time the older woman checks her phone or answers a call. The constant gifts being given to Yukimi, mostly clothes and books, that the caramel-eyed girl was sure her mother didn’t buy. There was also the case of her hospital bills being paid in days rather than weeks and the fact that her mother booked a lot of sessions which cost a lot even for her weekly ones back in the days.

It was all there.

And now Yukimi was feeling guilty that she thought of her dad while lifting her gaze to stare at Natsumi’s concerned face. She was supposed to be happy for her mother but she couldn’t help but look at the family portrait Haruto painted for months. Months of perfecting their expressions and planning out the sketch and color palette. Months of intense excitement in every corner of the house because Haruto was making a piece that was worthy of being placed on a pedestal for how much care he gave each brushstroke. Those months were now minuscule and was gradually being forgotten in their new home. But it would be so hard for them if Yukimi showed the slightest bit of discomfort at the thought of her mother loving someone other than her father. Who was she to talk to even? She dated someone and didn’t even have the plans to tell Natsumi about it and all the times the older woman met Kuroo was through coincidences.

At least her mother met him, Yukimi has never caught a glimpse of this person her mother is so infatuated with.

“When?”

“Huh?” Natsumi asked out of shock. She was expecting her daughter to be less docile about the news but all she could see was Yukimi trying so hard to flash a smile at her. It was making her eyes well up with tears. “Oh, for a couple of months now.”

Yukimi furrowed her brows, leaning forward a little bit in her seat. “A couple of months?”

The older woman sighed before smiling sadly. “Since the start of the year, Yuki-chan.” She then rose a hand in front of the girl’s face, making Yukimi coil back in her chair. “I know that you’re having a fit inside your mind right now but,” Natsumi looked down on her dinner plate, “have you ever felt lonely in all those years where Haru wasn’t around?”

“Why would you be lonely when you have me, Mom?” Yukimi scoffed. She knew she was acting like a little kid at the moment but of course, she had every right to be mad because her mother chose to keep this a secret from her. “You can’t just throw this information at me when more than half of the year has passed!”

Silence covered the room with a thick air of discomfort as Yukimi waited for her mother to talk. Upon seeing the tears escaping Natsumi’s eyes, the younger girl immediately felt a surge of guilt. She didn’t mean to snap at her mother when all the older woman did was to make her feel at home in an uncharted, bustling city. Her mother deserved all the happiness in the world after the death of Haruto but why was she so adamant in making Natsumi believe that the only person the older woman could love was Yukimi’s dad. Was Yukimi’s parents’ love not enough for her mom to find comfort in someone else rather than the only one holding Haruto’s memories, which would be their daughter? Yukimi thought that she would never see the day where her mother would remarry and make a family of her own yet here she was.

Now, everything was so blurry and Yukimi never knew she was crying until she heard herself sniff.

“Mom, Am I not enough to make you happy?” The caramel-eyed girl murmured. “To make you feel less lonely? I thought everything was working out for us?”

“Sweetie,” Natsumi called out, reaching a hand to cover Yukimi’s clenched one on the table. The mantel was getting crinkly and her heart was pinching at how the younger girl seemed to not have a care if her hand bled from how tight she dug her nails through her palm. “You’re always a reason for me to be happy. This person, the person I’m seeing, made me feel loved in a way that was so nostalgic to me. They gave my world a lot more color than it originally had. Yuki-chan, they were sparkling in my eyes and I am shining through theirs. I know you’re thinking that I’m so selfish for neglecting you and for forgetting Haru but you can think of it that way. I will never forget how Haru made me feel special and cared for through the years and his love for me will always be engraved in my soul that no one could erase. I’m not dating this person to replace Haru or to fix a hole in my heart, I’m dating them because I felt like I was supposed to — like I’m meant to.

“I love them, Yuki-chan, and I hope you really understand. I’ll do everything for you to understand.”

Yukimi felt herself breathe — everything cleared and all she could hear were her mother’s words inside her head, going on a loop. “Okay,” she finally said, which brightened up the atmosphere in their dining area. Looking softly at Natsumi’s eyes, Yukimi forced a smile to her face. “But give me time to process all of this, Mom. And as you said, I understand and I’m willing to understand if ever you want to introduce them to me.”

“About that,” Natsumi nervously chuckled. “They were planning on coming here for the weekend.”

“What?!”

“Oh, and along with their son.”

“Mom!”

Wait _, son?_

*

If love can be described as meeting someone who can bring color to your monochromatic world or seeing them blanketed in the blinding light of sparkling stars, then, Yukimi might be witnessing the cosmos and a thousand suns every time her eyes found Kuroo. In their loud classroom, he shone like a flame, vital and heartwarming, with his skin tanner than the rest of the boys and setting him off from them. It completely drew Yukimi’s eyes as if it was aligned for her to do so. The messy-haired boy’s appearance was so ruggedly handsome that it wasn’t only her who seem to notice how Kuroo brightly made his groupmates at ease. It fluttered the caramel-eyed girl’s chest no matter how contagious his laugh was or how people described it as funny, it was one of the things she genuinely loves about him. Everything about the golden-eyed boy across the room was so out of the league for her and she only realized it when it seems like he was so far away from her even though the space between them was so close.

Kuroo then turned his head slightly to her direction as if he could hear her calling for him inside her mind. For half a minute their gazes held at each other, Yukimi saw how Kuroo perked up, the former feeling an intense longing for the latter. She never jerked her gaze away from him even though her cheeks were becoming warmer by the passing seconds. These moments that almost seem like only the two of them share, no matter how fleeting it is, were the only moments in their days where they felt anything akin to spring and all the seasons combined. Their stomachs fluttered with butterfly wings, swooping in tendrils of the urge to just hold each other’s hand or better, experience the softness of a kiss.

“Kazahana, are you okay?” Romio asked from in front of her, their group’s sheet of paper unattended for a couple of minutes. “You’ve been spacing out lately. The others have already pitched in their ideas by now, I was wondering if you have any suggestions for the creative project?”

“Oh,” Yukimi exclaimed, her face painted a pretty shade of rose as she looked down on the piece of paper. “Uhm, how about we try making a song about the two characters, sort of like an epic, and fashion it out so that the others will engage themselves in deciphering it.”

“That’s a nice idea!” One of their groupmates exclaimed. “And we have choir and Music club members in our group. That would be so convenient.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“We’ll vote first, though, since Kagami’s idea of doing a poster sounds appealing to me, too.”

The moment Yukimi suggested that they will be making a song for the creative project, Romio’s chest was fluttering immensely as he looked at the dark-haired girl with a slacked jaw. He recommended doing a poster for their output since he knew it would be alongside Yukimi’s forte and it would mean that she would enjoy doing it with their group, which was rare on the girl’s part. And having her say something that involves something he loves doing, gives him the very feeling he was hoping would be gone. There he realized that no matter how many months they were apart from each other or how he briefly dated someone other than her, the only sparkling person in Romio’s surroundings was still Yukimi. But it couldn’t be him that got her so mesmerized at the moment. It was the volleyball club’s captain that got her in such a daze.

It was supposed to hurt like an explosion but why was he finding her beautiful looking at another person that wasn’t him.

Then, the class representative went in front of the board to write down the assigned students for cleaning duty and it was once again the pair sitting in front of each other. Romio wanted to tell the oblivious dark-haired girl, who was now scribbling something on her notebook and not paying attention to her surroundings, but he was beaten by a—

“Hana.”

Quickly, the said girl jumped in her seat and looked up at Kuroo with wide eyes, a hand placed on top of her pounding chest. “You scared me, Tetsurou,” she told him with a lingering smile.

A grin lifted Kuroo’s lips, his hand tentatively brushing against hers, which was placed on top of the desk. “It’s dismissal, thought I should let our precious manager know.”

“What?” Yukimi asked, roaming her head around the classroom, and true enough to the tall boy’s statement, everybody was packing their bags and filling the room with questions in which convenience stores they should go for some afternoon snacks. All except for one, who was leaning against his desk not too far from them, his gaze set on the board, which made Yukimi turn to the written names on it as well. Her eyes widened before she immediately cringed. “Tetsurou, I don’t think I’m going to the club with you this afternoon. I might be a little late.”

“Hmm?” Kuroo rose an eyebrow and followed her gaze. He nearly groaned but he caught himself when Romio was still inside their classroom. Slightly furrowing his brows, Kuroo ducked down in reflex as if he was about to kiss Yukimi on the cheek. However, he stopped a few inches away from her face, eyes wide and lips parted as the ethereal girl turned her head towards him. Their gaze connected once more, though everything was standing on the edge and singing for them to make the next move. Right when he was about to lose all of his restraint, Kuroo looked away and straightened himself. “Hana, give me your bag,” he murmured, hand scratching the back of his head. “I’ll wait for you by the shoe lockers.”

 _We’ve broken up. There’s no reason to keep doing those things_ , Kuroo thought bitterly.

Yukimi stayed still in her seat, her mouth opening and closing, trying to find her voice just to call out his name. All she could do was sullenly stare at the sliding doors where Kuroo exited, eyebrows lowering and vision becoming misty. All of the physical contacts that flowed between the two of them abruptly closed off yesterday when she came back from the hospital. The most they could do now was brush their fingers together or the casual hands on the arm or the small of one’s back. She knew that this would be inevitable but she was already hurting only a day through their break-up, which was foolish.

Hastily wiping her tears, Yukimi stood up, wordlessly retrieved the rags at the back of the room, and immediately started wiping one of the windows. She was immersed in cleaning while her mind ran miles regarding the volleyball club and their messy-haired captain. She was thinking of ways to suggest some more plays or give Nekomata their budget report for another training camp with Karasuno. She was coming up with welcoming statements to their visitors and possible new members of the family (if her mother ever had a fleeting thought of remarrying the person she was dating). Yukimi was perfectly inside her personal bubble until she heard someone speak not too far from her, which she didn’t catch at first. And she regretted turning around the next second.

“Kazahana, I like you.”

It was supposed to be a fluttering moment. Everything should be sparkling. The room needed the explosion of colors. Instead, a powerful gust of wind blew through the windows and curtains, obscuring Yukimi’s view as she tried tidying her hair from the wind. When the curtains went back to their places, it gave the caramel-eyed girl a clear view of the person confessing to her, his face set in a determined expression that might have won her over months ago. Why wasn’t everything sparkling like a rain of shooting stars? Why didn’t it give her butterflies? All of this; the setting, the atmosphere, and the scenario of just the two of them, and the words she badly wanted to hear from the brown-haired boy’s mouth for two years, they were supposed to be picturesque.

Disbelief.

Incredulity.

Unawareness.

—Were the words she could come up with now that she was faced with a red-faced Romio. The last word mostly about him. There were a lot of signs that Kuroo and Yukimi were starting to be involved in a high-school romance, almost everyone knew it, even the faculty members. Who wouldn’t think that when their positions in their clubs were screaming to be made into panels telling the story of friends turned to lovers?

“What?” Yukimi asked, not meaning to sound rude. In reality, she was only shocked that Romio would go out of his way to express his feelings to her.

The brown-haired boy stepped forward with his fists clenched on his sides. “You heard me the first time, Kazahana.”

Running a hand through her hair, Yukimi asked, “I thought you were dating Chika-san?” Chika Miyuki, his best friend who the three of them (Kuroo, Kenma, and her) saw being affectionate with the boy in front of her in the café they frequently visited. 

“Th—That’s,” Romio stuttered, looking down on the floor. “We broke up a long time ago. She broke it off with me because she said I wasn’t the same anymore. All along, I thought I was falling in love with her and it was only now that I realized that it has always been you. All the times our friendship circle passed by the gymnasium to get a glimpse of the volleyball club, I would always search for you and think that you’re so cool in your uniform. It always hurts whenever I saw you interact with Kuroo-san and I don’t even know why. Now, it—“

“Kagami-san, I’m sorry,” Yukimi interrupted with her face depicting a sad smile before bowing in front of the boy. Once she straightened herself, with her hair tumbling down in waves over her shoulders, Yukimi chuckled. “I already have someone I love and I have no plans in giving up when it comes to this person. It’s because of them I get to live my life out to the fullest in my last year of high school. They basically saved my life.” She paused, fiddling with the strap of her wristwatch with a soft smile on her face. “You know, I imagined this moment a year ago, thinking that it could be filled with butterflies and overwhelming emotions that I wouldn’t be able to contain, with the sunset as our witness. Now, the only things I could think of regarding confessions are the abundance of twinkling stars in the night sky, empty cans of watermelon sodas on a grassy hill, and the Moon being luminary with its light. It’s funny how this was also the spot where I confessed to you a few months ago. So, Kagami-san, I’m going to be clear with you.

“Tetsurou shines brighter than anyone else for me and I know it will always be that way. I don’t have eyes for anybody else.”

The wind once again blew the remnants of Yukimi’s words and pushed it to the very person in her declaration, who was listening by the door, his heartbeat racing and grip tightening on the cans of watermelon sodas in both of his hands. _God, I love her so much_ , was what Kuroo thought as his lips broke into a giddy smile.

Romio smiled, bowing slightly after a few bouts of silence. “Thank you for listening to my confession, Kazahana.”

Yukimi grinned, satisfied that she finally let out what was inside her chest and mind throughout the day. She lifted the rags and turned around to wipe the windows again. “Let’s finish this quick.” Then, she turned around to meet Romio’s eyes. “We have club activities, right?”

With that, the classroom was basked with comfortable silence that the two of them were never in during their nearly three years of being schoolmates (they weren’t classmates in their second-year in Nekoma). All the dark-haired girl could think about at the moment were the dishes that she will be cooking early in the morning tomorrow alongside her mother before going to school for the weekend practices. She vaguely remembered Natsumi telling her to prepare desserts because apparently, the son of her mother’s lover claimed to like sweet things and had an obsession with some kind of bread. She would have to bake a regular cake since she doesn’t know the specific preference of the kid. With her mind preoccupied, their cleaning duty passed by like a blur, and the next thing Yukimi knew, she was already standing in front of Kuroo by the shoe lockers.

“Let’s go?” Kuroo asked with a soft smile, Yukimi’s bag still on his other shoulder. “Oh, I forgot that I bought this for you.” Then, he handed the can of watermelon soda to the dark-haired girl, his hand hovering awkwardly once Yukimi took the beverage from him with bright eyes. He wanted to tell her he overheard her conversation with Romio earlier but all he could say was, “You know I still love you, right?” Yukimi sputtered the watermelon soda upon hearing the words, urging Kuroo to be instantly by her side, patting her back gently as she calmed down. “I’m sorry I surprised you with that,” he ducked down a little to meet the girl’s eyes, “but I’m speaking the truth. I still love you and I’ll always wait for you, Hana.”

Yukimi was silent, warmth overflowing and heartbeat accelerating at the boy’s statement. This time, the caramel-eyed girl was sure that she saw the whole scenery, way past the shoe lockers, bathing in color and Kuroo Tetsurou was the subject — her subject. She was always swinging between hope and melancholy at his slightest gestures, be it seeking her eyes across the gymnasium or getting the tangles out of her hair from rushing towards school, all of it was making her heart yearn for him even more. He was like a rain shower of comets, shooting stars, and luminaries. She ducked down, avoiding his eyes to hide the fact that she was pouring out her feelings for him with only a stare. “Tetsurou,” she murmured, “can I do something real quick?”

Kuroo hummed in question. “Sure, if it’s going to the toilets on this floor, I’m going to wait for you so don’t worry.”

“It’s not that.” Yukimi stood on her tip-toes, placing both of her hands on the boy’s chest. Kissing him on the cheek again without caring for their relationship status was euphoric for the both of them. She could feel the mild lavender undertone of his scent as she firmly planted her lips on the corners of his lips again, lingering for a moment before quickly turning around. “The others might be waiting for us,” she stuttered, both her mind and heart a flustered mess.

Kuroo looked at her back for a couple of minutes — the bounce of her hair that was getting longer, her tense shoulders that he really wanted to ease with an embrace, the way she hurriedly put on her outdoor shoes, and the occasional glances she gave him — they weren’t helping in tranquilizing the celebratory beat his chest conjured.

She still smelled of watermelon and it was enough for the golden-eyed boy to love her even more.

*

Saturday came and so will their visitors. Yukimi was up five o’clock in the morning to prepare some of the dishes for lunch, creating her own bento box since she would be eating with the club members. It was a rare sight for Natsumi to have her daughter bustling in the kitchen with a messy ponytail and a flour-covered apron over her matching pajamas. For an early hour of the day, the Kazahana household was filled with aromatic smells that made Yukimi hungry at the last minute, leading to her being forced by her mother to take a rest and get some breakfast. Right when the clock struck seven, Yukimi excused herself from her mother and quickly prepared herself for the day’s practice, her backpack bouncing and her manager tracksuit flashing through the quiet house. Today was the day Hikari will be officially taking on the responsibilities of being the club’s second manager and the dark-haired girl couldn’t contain her excitement. Before Yukimi could step foot outside their door, Natsumi went to the _genkan_ to catch up with her daughter, handing the girl’s daily bottle of banana milk.

“They’ll be arriving here at ten in the morning and they’ll be staying until Monday afternoon,” Natsumi informed the younger girl.

“Won’t the kid have classes?” Yukimi curiously asked, poking the straw through the lid, and taking a refreshing sip of her preferred drink.

“Kid?” Natsumi muttered, confused by the girl’s casual question. Then, she remembered that her lover will be bringing a kid in the visit and figured that her daughter was hinting at that one. “Oh, the companions said that they will be skipping class and have a break from sports and academics. They really do deserve the break though. Saki was always telling me that her son was coming home from volleyball practice late at night and I figured that this would be the perfect timing to get some rest as well.”

“That’s weird.”

“What is?” Now Natsumi was really confused.

“Most of the people in my life right now somehow have connections with volleyball. All of my friends, that is.” Yukimi opened the door and waved enthusiastically to her mother. “Bye, Mom, see you this afternoon!”

“Stay safe, Yuki-chan!”

“Always, Mom.”

The hours spent in Nekoma’s volleyball club was all about honing each member’s strength when it comes to attacking and holding their guard. The boys requested that they do their practice separately and sometimes pulling someone to help them by just tossing the ball while they do quick attacks. Kuroo was figured that it would be great to have their ace face him (Teshiro, the first-year setter being the one giving him tosses), with the two-toned boy’s strong attacks and vibrant nature, all for improving his blocks. The captain wanted to get the perfect timing and asked Yukimi to record his successful attempts in her notebook. Yaku was off receiving Kai’s enhanced serves and Kenma was setting for the first-years and Fukunaga again, appointing Shibayama to receive the quick attacks alternatively. All of them were setting their gears for the upcoming Spring Interhigh preliminaries. October was right around the corner and not one of them will be giving up the time and opportunity to improve themselves.

After a break, the team was given tablets to watch some plays in Olympic matches, letting them analyze each move of the professionals on their screens as they fashion them to their liking. It was more than the usual events happening inside the huge gymnasium and Yukimi was starting to feel the loom of the tournament over her shoulder. The match-ups weren’t released yet and were anticipated to be released on Monday. She hoped that the boys will be facing teams that will have them place the right amount of effort on the court as well as let them breathe every once in a while. Yukimi would have to prepare a more equipped first-aid kit if ever Kenma displays signs of hyperventilation in a game or if any player from their team sprains a limb. As the manager, Yukimi would do anything to support the members and be there whenever they need help. It was a good thing that Hikari will be there to help her.

This was more than a club for Yukimi and nothing can change her mind. It was all written on her face as she stared at each of the boys with a sure smile on her face, trusting them in their journey to the top even though she already knew that they will be facing Karasuno in the nationals.

The practice for the day ended in satisfaction, with some of them going straight home while the others were planning on spending the few hours of daylight hanging out with each other. Yukimi was one of the former while Kuroo became the ringleader for the latter group. The messy-haired boy gave her a playful air-kiss when they walked her to the station, which she smilingly rolled her eyes at while waving goodbye to the rest of the club (mainly Hikari, Kenma, Yaku, Lev, and Fukunaga).

When she arrived in front of their house, Yukimi saw an unfamiliar car parked on the side of the road right next to her mother’s car. That could be their visitors’. With a hummed tune under her breath, Yukimi walked on the pathway with measured footsteps until she heard the thumps of someone running towards the door, and faintly hearing along the lines of Takeru. Everything was so sudden as the door slammed open and a small body barreled on her torso, sending her on the harsh gravel of their pathway. She tried sitting up but she felt a slight sting coming from her bottom, making her flinch in pain. There was also something hot on the palm of her right hand. As Yukimi rose it in front of her face, she saw that she might have used it as something to balance her weight and cushion her fall. The skin of her wrist was burning red with her pulse.

“Ah, TAKERU! Look at what you’ve done! Oh, my God, are you okay—?!”

It was the boy she bumped into in Miyagi’s Spring Interhigh preliminaries. The pretty boy who wanted her name but never got it when Hinata interrupted Yukimi. He looked different with casual clothes on because for some reason, Yukimi always associated him with the teal of his team’s shirt. What a huge coincidence. One of her visitors was the person named _Kusoikawa_ , who stopped in fussing over her sitting form and was now blatantly gaping at her with disbelief splattered on his face.

“Y—You.”

“Me?” Yukimi warily asked, leaning back a little.

“The pretty girl in—“

“Tooru, what happened?” A beautiful brown-haired woman clad in a fitting shirt tucked in a pair of high-waisted slacks stepped out of the house and upon seeing that Yukimi was still sitting on the pathway, she frantically went to her side. “Are you okay?” Her tone was enough for Yukimi to breathe again from the pain coming from her bottom and wrist. She then turned to where the kid and Tooru were standing with a glare, the two boys jumping back from the intensity of the stare. “Who did this to her?”

“Yuki-chan?!” Natsumi shouted from the doorway, watching as the other woman helped her up gently. “Where does it hurt?”

“Just my wrist,” Yukimi murmured, patting her sweatpants free from dirt with her uninjured hand.

“Come inside so that we’ll ice it,” Natsumi told her. “I might have to call Nekomata-san again to have you take the day off tomorrow.”

“But, Mom,” the dark-haired girl retaliated, catching the attention of everyone in the front yard. She felt her face heat up from having all eyes on her before looking on the ground. “The team is immersing in improving themselves and I want to be there to witness it. I don’t care if I can’t write down their progress but I still want to be a part of their growth. So please, let me be in the club tomorrow.”

The older woman stared at her daughter fondly, slowly realizing that Yukimi didn’t need the extra session with the pushy therapist. The club might be the right thing for her and Natsumi had no plans in keeping her away from those people so she smiled, “Okay, Yuki-chan, I won’t inform Nekomata-san tonight. Only if you get inside right now and apply first-aid on your wrist.” Natsumi shared a glance with the brown-haired woman, the latter going by her side and affectionately wrapping an arm around the former’s shoulders. “Oh, and I’m happy that you’re now acquainted with Takeru-chan and Tooru-kun. You’ll be seeing more of them often these days.”

Yukimi slowly turned her head to the tall brown-haired boy, who was sheepishly scratching the back of his head and avoiding her gaze. She then shifted her stare at the little boy hiding behind Tooru’s legs, who was also doing what the older boy displayed.

“I’m sorry, nee-san,” Takeru voiced out, peeking from his uncle’s leg to shyly look at the pretty girl.

“It’s alright, Takeru-chan,” Yukimi replied, giving the kid a smile that made him flush. Then, she transferred her eyes back to the older boy. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Tooru, my name is Kazahana Yukimi. I hope we’ll get along this weekend.

Oikawa was left staring at her, his mind racing that he finally knew her name.


	40. NARROWING THE SPACE.

“My name is Oikawa Saki,” the brown-haired woman introduced herself, smiling kindly at Yukimi while squeezing Natsumi’s hand on top of the dining table. For once, the small dining table seemed like it needed more space. Yukimi always liked the table for being her small haven with her mother every meal, now, it felt like everything overflowed. “Uhm,” Saki looked at the side, receiving an encouraging smile from her girlfriend, prompting her to face the younger girl again, “I know this is so sudden but I wanted to get to know you better, Yukimi-chan. Since as you can see, your Mom has been the most amazing thing that has happened to me since the birth of my grandson. I wanted to let you know that—“

“It’s alright, Oikawa-san—“

Saki smiled reassuringly. “You can call me Saki, Yukimi-chan.”

“Saki-san,” Yukimi tested out, feeling herself grin each passing second. “It’s completely alright.” She looked down on her glass of apple juice, her reflection showing a serene smile, before looking directly at the brown-haired woman in front of her. “I’ve come to terms with it and though I was tentative at first, I realized that I never actually disliked the idea of Mom dating right now. So thank you so much for making her happy. Welcome to the family, Saki-san!”

“Yuki-chan,” Natsumi tearfully murmured, her expression displaying how touched she was with her daughter.

Actually, touched wasn’t the word needed to describe how warm Natsumi’s chest feels at the moment. Tears just ran down her cheeks, euphoric that the weight on her shoulders vanished in an instant. She was so blessed by having an understanding daughter who would readily accept her for, not only dating after being widowed for a couple of years, but also for loving someone of the same sex. At first, it was even a huge surprise for her for falling in love with Saki, feeling the tremendous wave of serendipity whenever she was with the older woman. All the times they met up and the distance that they crossed was worth it if it meant enjoying each other’s company. She never really expected to find herself feeling like a teenager again in the presence of Saki but it seemed like so when the brown-haired woman confessed to her first. It was like high-school again. The joy of falling in love that was so unbeknownst to you, delving in deep without knowing what was going to happen. Saki made her feel all that again.

Yukimi could only stare fondly when her mother was comforted by Saki when the former burst into tears. She watched as the brown-haired woman placed both of her hands on Natsumi’s cheeks, rubbing her thumbs on her cheekbones to calm her down. The older woman then was murmuring something under her breath that only Natsumi could hear, placing their foreheads against each other like it was the most natural thing to do. What Yukimi saw was pure bliss in front of her, glowed by one of the most important people in her life and her lover. It was familiar. Her hands clenched around the glass of juice, her mind thinking back on that messy-haired boy who told her he will always be waiting for her.

“I thought you weren’t going to accept it.”

A soft voice came from Yukimi’s right, making her lose her train of thoughts purely of Kuroo. “What?” she asked, not picking up what Oikawa Tooru told her.

The brown-haired boy pouted his lips a little, bummed that the girl wasn’t paying attention to him. Nonetheless, he brushed it off, and mindlessly stirred his juice with his metal straw, chin nestled against the palm of his other hand. “I said,” he started, enunciating every syllable that sent Yukimi rolling her eyes with pursed lips. “You weren’t going to accept that.” He nodded his head to where their mothers doted on Takeru. “I had a hunch though.”

“Why would you think that?” The dark-haired girl rose an eyebrow in confusion. It would take her weeks rather than days to warm up to the boy, seeing as they started on the wrong note, always bumping accidentally with each other.

Oikawa shrugged a little before meeting her eyes. “You give off a vibe that is contented with what you have with your mom right now, you know, with only the two of you,” he casually noted, making the girl widen her eyes in slight surprise. “I mean, I understand that you might have been putting your guard up when you heard the news since I was also shocked when Mom told me, even my older sister was ready to set the house on fire.” He then looked away from Yukimi to smile at his mother’s interaction with Natsumi. “But knowing how she became a single mother after I was born, it was nice to see her smile like that for another person other than us every once in a while.”

“You’re actually not so bad,” Yukimi told him, taking a sip of her drink right after.

The brown-haired boy sputtered. “What do you mean? I have been kind to you the whole time!”

Yukimi laughed at the boy’s outburst. “Well, our first meeting was actually kind of funny.”

The boy rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t trying to hit on you—,” when he saw how the girl rose an eyebrow with a half-smile, Oikawa groaned in disbelief, “well, okay, I was planning on getting your number that time.” Again, he was cut off by the delighted laughs coming from the pretty-eyed girl, igniting an obvious flush on his cheeks from embarrassment. “Would you stop laughing?! I couldn’t exactly blame myself when you look like that! Even Iwa-chan told me you were pretty.” Oikawa perked up in his seat, dying down Yukimi’s laughs to a questioning gaze. “Oh, Iwa-chan didn’t know that the two of us are practically brother and sister now. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”

“Uh, you have a scary face right now. It’s starting to make me lose my appetite.”

“It’s nice to see that you two are already getting along,” Natsumi voiced out, catching the attention of the two teenagers in mid-conversation. “Yuki-chan, why don’t you show Tooru-kun and Takeru-chan the way to the nearby park? They mentioned something about playing volleyball. That’s probably why Takeru-chan was in such a hurry.”

“And bumped into Yukimi-chan, which might have sprained her wrist,” Saki stated, eyes narrowing at the only kid in the room, who was now slowly sliding down the chair at the negative attention he was receiving from his grandmother.

“Oh, I’m really okay, Saki-san,” the said girl reassured, laughing slightly in nervousness.

“Really?” Oikawa drawled, reaching a finger to poke her wrist still placed under an ice bag. When he heard her hiss under her breath and flinch in pain, he innocently looked at the ceiling to avoid the girl’s glare. “Doesn’t seem like you’re okay, though.”

The dark-haired girl continued narrowing her eyes at Oikawa, and for a minute of staring at his ridiculously clear face, Yukimi stood up and took her bag from the floor. “I’ll change first before taking them, Mom,” she told them before turning to an expectant Oikawa and a bright-eyed Takeru with a grin and a thumbs-up. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready in no time.”

It was a long time since Yukimi came to the park in their neighborhood. More like it was a park that connected the suburban beyond theirs, a perfect little plaza for family leisure time and hanging out with your classmates after a day in the club. Cafés and street vendors were dotting the park since it was still nearing sunset and business was at the peak of the day at this hour, with the sweet smell of crepes and takoyaki shifting in the air, making the trio decide wordlessly that they will be eating a few delicacies. With the volleyball in both hands (Oikawa had a volleyball packed in his duffel bag, which was placed orderly in Yukimi’s room — “ _Tooru-kun will be sleeping in your room, Yuki-chan_.”), Takeru excitedly stood on his tip-toes to watch the takoyaki being flipped one by one on the iron pan. Letting the two boys wait for their food, Yukimi slipped away and walked ahead to a convenience store to pick up some drinks and other snacks.

After a few minutes of receiving their small platters of takoyaki, Oikawa noticed that one-third of their small party was missing, making him look around the vicinity of the park. Suddenly, a crinkle of plastic greeted his ears. In front of him was a grinning Yukimi brandishing a wrapped milk bread roll, the sunset tinting the scene and her a mellow orange. Stunned with the girl’s small action, Oikawa only stared openly between the dangled piece of bread he favored and Yukimi's kind face.

“I remembered that Mom mentioned that you like a certain bread so I took the liberty of buying you one as sort of welcoming you to the family, Oikawa-kun,” Yukimi happily told him, excited that she will have someone to treat as a brother other than Daichi.

“Tooru.”

“Hmm?” the girl hummed in confusion at the boy saying his given name so casually.

“Just call me Tooru, Kimi-chan,” he told her, holding out a platter of takoyaki to the wide-eyed girl. “We’re going to be siblings if our moms ever plan on taking their relationship on another level so might as well call each other by our names or better, nicknames, thus the Kimi-chan. Besides you’re pretty so my nickname for you should show that, too.” He tilted his head to the left and led her to where Takeru was sitting comfortably, gobbling up the takoyaki with a satisfied face. “Come on, let’s eat this takoyaki before they get too cold.”

Yukimi felt herself smile. “Lead the way, Tooru.” The three of them sat on a bench overlooking the entire park and one by one, the streetlights announced the end of the day with their star-like glow. Yukimi looked at Takeru, who forgot about playing volleyball with his uncle as he continued eating his snack, and figured that volleyball will be for tomorrow. The little boy looked so contented at the moment and Yukimi was afraid she would be ruining it. So she let Takeru in his world and turned to Oikawa, “Mom also mentioned something about you going home late because of volleyball.”

“Oh,” Oikawa exclaimed, gulping down a takoyaki in one go before subtly wiping his mouth with his hand. “It’s kind of embarrassing when it’s me telling people this,” he nervously chuckled, hand at the back of his neck, “but I’m the captain of our club.”

It was a first for Oikawa to feel nervous around a new person. Usually, whenever he was faced with a girl, especially someone as mesmerizing as Yukimi, he would steer to painting fake smiles on his face to be on every person’s good graces. For Yukimi though, he was trying so hard to be the charming Oikawa Tooru everybody knew. It was probably because of the girl’s caramel eyes who looked like they sucked every gust of air he inhaled or how they seemed to glint with calculation like a cat’s. It was both scary and beautiful.

“Yeah, a friend told me that you are,” Yukimi noted, remembering Kiyoko’s words while opening a can of soda. The dark-haired girl looked back at Oikawa, who was taking a bite of the milk bread roll in a flustered manner. “I heard great things about your team and you, of course. Most of them being your serves. My friend told me that your match with Karasuno was intense, in a good way. It would be amazing if I could watch some of your matches.”

Oikawa glanced at her from the side, his body swelling with pride that a stranger (who didn’t even have a glimpse of his team’s caliber) talked with admiration for his team. It took him a few moments to reply, “You can watch the Spring InterHigh qualifiers in Miyagi next month.” Then, the look on the brown-haired boy’s face widened Yukimi’s eyes. It was a look that she saw on Hinata or Kuroo or Bokuto. Those hungry eyes that screamed they’ll devour anything being thrown their way in their matches. It slightly scared her (but adored on a certain messy-haired captain). “I’ll show you a match that will be unrivaled by the others you will encounter in the future.”

“Why can’t you be cool like that all the time, Tooru?” Takeru inserted, expression unamused at his uncle. The little boy was innocently sipping from his can of soda as the older boy squawked at his statement. “You’re always so lame and now that you’re talking to pretty nee-chan, you get cool in an instant saying things like that. It’s like you weren’t dumped a while back. If you were that cool back then, your ex might still be your girlfriend.”

“Takeru!” Oikawa shouted, face aggravated with faux tears springing from his eyes. “We don’t talk about that anymore.” He shivered, hugging himself with his arms. “Now you’re making me remember!”

Yukimi scoffed, her laugh coming in low chuckles. “He was dumped?” she asked Takeru, who was staring at her with bright eyes, all ready to spill his uncle’s deepest secrets.

The little boy nodded his head fervently. “He was wondering what he did wrong for weeks! It was getting annoying hearing him sulk in his room, trying to get to the bottom of why his girlfriend broke up with him.” Then, Takeru narrowed his eyes at Oikawa. “If only you admitted that you are such a lame person, you wouldn’t be wasting your time crying.” He looked back at Yukimi, who was holding her laughter with pursed lips. “He kept denying it, nee-chan.”

“Oya? A kid just exposed you,” Yukimi stated, side-eyeing Oikawa with a half-smile before smiling serenely and laughing to herself. “Joke’s aside, I think Tooru and I are on the same boat right now. I’d rather empathize with him than going along with teasing him, Takeru-chan.

“You’ve been dumped, too?!” Oikawa asked animatedly, jumping in his seat to shift his body to Yukimi. “Even pretty girls like you aren’t safe these days, huh? Damn, if I were the one dating you I’d—“

“You’d neglect her for volleyball.”

“Takeru!” Oikawa whined. Letting the warmth from his cheeks fade away, the brown-haired boy went back to assessing the girl in their little circle, humming every so often that it ticked Yukimi. However, the next words Oikawa uttered made Yukimi gape. “But really, if I were the one dating you, I’d never break up with you. I mean, look at you, you’re quite the catch the first time I saw you and you’ve probably even more of a catch right now. Who in their right mind would break up with you? It is bad timing that our moms are dating because if not, I would really channel my fleeting crush for you and manifest it to pursue you.”

Yukimi only stared at Oikawa for a couple of seconds that it sent chills down the boy’s back. “Wow, is that how you make girls fall at your feet?” she blankly stated before covering her mouth with the palm of her hand and scoffed teasingly, earning a ‘ _You’re mean, Kimi-chan_!’ from the said boy and a cackle from Takeru. “I’m sorry to inform you but I was the one who broke up with him.” She looked away and looked down with a small smile, eyes soft as she traced the side of the soda can with a finger. “We dated for a short amount of time, to be honest, but I broke it off because I was told to.” Yukimi didn’t want Oikawa to know that she nearly took her life and needed to have more sessions with an expensive therapist so she phrased her words as carefully as possible. “I’m still in love with him though.”

“Then that’s enough to make him the luckiest man in the world right now,” the brown-haired boy sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. “Because I can see how much you love him. Makes me wish for that to happen to me, too, but volleyball is the only thing I’m passionate about.”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” Yukimi softly uttered. Upon hearing Oikawa’s last sentence, she looked at him with a smile. “And there’s no reason for you to feel down about being passionate about volleyball. I think that’s amazing how much effort and dedication you offer to the sport. I admire people like you actually.”

“Don’t tell me that your ex was also a sports-inclined person, Kimi-chan,” Oikawa chuckled with a little tilt in his voice.

“He’s actually the captain of our school’s volleyball club,” Yukimi informed, not realizing that Oikawa was staring at her with wonder displayed on his face. Every time she was talking about Kuroo or thinking about him, her thoughts wrapped her in this warm bubble solely dedicated to the messy-haired boy. What she doesn’t know was that her expression would turn into something more than her usual aesthetic — almost everyone noted that when she was absentmindedly talking about Kuroo. Yukimi lifted her gaze forward and continued, “Actually, he looks like that boy over there.”

“Where? The one walking in our direction?” Oikawa asked, placing a hand on top of his brows in search of the person Yukimi was looking at.

“Yeah,” Yukimi softly replied before jumping an inch in the air upon realization. “Oh, my God—“

“Hana?” Kuroo called out with both hands in the pockets of his Nekoma sweatpants, not shocked that he was correct with his assumption of the girl sitting in one of the benches of the park. His lips quirked in his love-struck smile as he stopped right beside her by the bench, never noticing how Oikawa subtly stood up and sat on Takeru’s other side to give the two some distance. There was something scary about the tall messy-haired boy and it intimidated Oikawa, who was now humming loudly to make it seem like he was not associated with Yukimi. And true enough, Kuroo never looked at anyone but the caramel-eyed beauty. “You’re here at this hour?”

“Yeah,” Yukimi murmured, softly staring up at Kuroo. “I’m actually with a friend right now—huh? Where did he go?” The girl’s eye twitched when she registered that Oikawa moved a few feet away and was bumping the volleyball against his forearms. She couldn’t help but whisper, “Seriously, Tooru?”

“Oh?” Kuroo rose an eyebrow, following the girl’s gaze to an unknown dumb-looking brown-haired boy and a little kid who was staring at the former with a funny face. Quite a pair. He was used to Yukimi having unexpected friends so he turned back to her and nearly laughed at how she was calling for the brown-haired boy. She looked adorable, hissing at the teenager like a small kitten he didn’t mind keeping. “Care to introduce me, Hana?”

“I might have to let you sleep in the living room if you keep acting like that, Tooru,” Yukimi was saying until she heard Kuroo. “Oh, that idiot over there is Oikawa Tooru. I told you earlier that we will be having guests over, right?” Seeing Kuroo nod, she added, “He’s one of them, he’s the son of my mom’s girlfriend.”

Kuroo raised both brows at the new information, mainly on the fact that Yukimi’s mother has a female lover instead of the usual opposite sex. It was his first time hearing such a relationship and it was coming from the girl he has feelings for. As much as the majority of the public looked down on any same-sex relationship in their country, Kuroo found no wrong in what Yukimi told him. This was not because it was Yukimi’s mother and that he had to do everything to tolerate these kinds of things just to give him some brownie points. Kuroo would never stop so low and he reminded himself that the next time he’ll be seeing the older woman, he would wish her happiness in her relationship. Of course, not out of the blue because that would be weird — to come up to Yukimi’s mother and casually say “ _Congrats, ma’am_ ”.

“Tooru, this is Kuroo Tetsurou, my—,” Yukimi paused, face flushed and heart stuttering in her chest at what she was about to say, “—Uhm, a very special person in my life and the captain of our volleyball club.”

“Yo,” Kuroo nodded at Oikawa, glancing at the volleyball in the brown-haired boy’s hands. “You play?”

There was a slight pause coming from Oikawa as he looked at Yukimi, who encouraged him with a tilt in her head. “Yeah.” It was ended with a rising intonation as if he wasn’t sure if he should approach the situation lightly like with Iwaizumi or be intimidating like what he exhibited with Karasuno. Because, hell, this Kuroo person was definitely scarier than his childhood friend. Those eyes looked ready to kill, especially now that he was with Yukimi.

“Oya? What position?” Now, Kuroo was curious, lifting an eyebrow in question.

The brown-eyed boy once again looked at Yukimi, his eyes narrowed slightly as if he was asking for help before painting a huge smile on his face — one that he reserved mainly for riling up some of his opponents. In this case, Oikawa forcedly smiled at the taller boy to avoid being on his blacklist. “Setter.” At this, he noticed how Kuroo shifted and stood straighter, his eyes flashing akin to Yukimi’s earlier, a calculating gaze that sent chills down his spine and doused him in cold water. These two (Yukimi and Kuroo) make a great couple, indeed. Another thought, a potential rival on court spotted. “What about you, Kuroo-chan?”

Now, it was Kuroo who glanced at Yukimi, scared that he might go off and snap like he always did with Nohebi’s captain. There was something off with how the dumb-looking brown-haired boy pronounced each syllable. It was irritating. Especially the honorific attached to his last name. There was no problem if somebody used that with his name, it’s not like he cares about those things, but if someone used it mockingly, Kuroo would not hesitate to leer at the person with his blocking face. Once he felt Yukimi’s fingers brushing against his wrist, the messy-haired boy looked at her caramel irises and felt a calmness wash over him in an instant. Seeing her smile was relieving for Kuroo that he couldn’t help but smile back. Taking out his hand from the warmth of his pocket, Kuroo sought out another source of warmth for him — entwining his fingers with Yukimi’s.

Schooling his features into mirroring Oikawa’s faux grin, Kuroo answered, “Middle blocker, Oika’a-san.”

“That explains it,” Oikawa murmured. Kuroo reminded him of that glasses middle blocker from Karasuno. His phone buzzed right after, cutting off the conversation as he read the message his Mom sent him. The brown-haired boy sighed and stood up from the bench, stretching before gathering their trash. “Kimi-chan, Mom said that we should head back. Apparently, they prepared dinner while we’re away. Oh, and Mom added that we should get some desserts along the way since we finished the cake you baked earlier in lunch.”

The brown-haired boy beckoned Takeru over and walked to Yukimi’s side, taking her right wrist lightly in his hand and pulling her up from the bench gently. Kuroo’s gaze quickly went to the pair’s joined hands, his head now tilted upwards with a half-lidded gaze as he assessed the two. It looked like Oikawa was scared of hurting Yukimi with how he handled her wrist. Great, another one caught in Yukimi’s enthralling spell. Without thinking, Kuroo pulled Yukimi to him until she was pressed against his chest with an adorable huff. He couldn’t help but smirk when Yukimi questioningly looked up at him with those arresting caramel eyes he always adored, though what made his heart pound was the growing blush creeping upward to her ears. Kuroo’s chest then pinched that he couldn’t freely give her a kiss at the moment and right when he was about to duck down in the slightest bit, an annoying whine came from their right.

“Kimi-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed, his hand still clasped on the said girl’s wrist, rubbing it in soothing circles. “Let’s go, dinner’s waiting for us!”

“Oh,” Yukimi murmured. She glanced at Kuroo with her head turned to the impatient brown-haired boy. “Tetsurou, we’ll be going,” Yukimi genuinely let out a small laugh as she softly patted the boy’s chest, “and you can let go of me now.”

Kuroo didn’t even register that he transferred his hand on her waist, pulling her even closer to him until he could get the faintest scent of watermelon that sent his heart racing even more, muddling his thoughts and leaving only remnants of her in its crevices. Furrowing his brows, he whispered, low enough to not let Oikawa listen in their conversation, “What if I won’t?”

Sensing something from Kuroo’s question, Yukimi smiled at him, feeling his pounding heartbeat through her hand and letting herself be wrapped in its song. “That doesn’t matter,” Yukimi muttered under her breath, waiting for the opportunity where Oikawa will answer a text from his mom to stand on her tip-toes. Takeru’s voice flitted in the background, asking what will they be having for dinner but Yukimi doesn’t care — all she wanted was for Kuroo to hear her feelings. “I would still come back to you,” she whispered in his ear. The dark-haired girl then smiled as she stood straight. “See you tomorrow in practice, Tetsurou.”

“Yeah,” Kuroo replied with a small smile. “See you tomorrow, Hana.”

Lingering thoughts and the yearning for the dark-haired girl colored the night, with the same intensity reciprocated for the golden-eyed boy. Kuroo looking at the retreating figures of the two teenagers and the little kid (which he noticed when they walked away from him), whilst Yukimi glanced at him for a second before turning red as their eyes met. The jet-black haired boy wanted to ask her what happened to her wrist, to take it in his hands and run his cold can of soda over it but he was beaten by that brown-eyed boy at the last second. He could only listen to their voices, becoming smaller by the distance wind and making his heart squeeze painfully inside his flower-infested ribs.

“Kimi-chan! I didn’t mean to intimidate him. It was in instinct that I had to act that way with every volleyball player I encounter!”

“Then, consider yourself sleeping in the living room.”

“You’re mean, Kimi-chan! Takeru, help me over here.”

“You’re lame, Tooru.”

“He’s got a point, Tooru.”

“I would never introduce you to Iwa-chan!”


	41. THE PROMISE OF LINGERING SPARKS.

It was decided.

Nekoma was awarded as one of the schools to grapple for a spot in the representative roster leading to the nationals. Waves of relief and exhilaration washed over the members of Nekoma as they stared at the scoreboard with wide eyes, the current match declaring them the victors with their three-point lead. Aside from emerging as a surviving team in the preliminaries, they were placed as one of the top four institutions in the new tournament — a glory that their school never experienced in a good number of years. This means that they will have to face the other three celebrating their win in the arena and all of them were teams that stood as the best among the others in Tokyo. Now it was a huge relief to them that they weren’t placed in the same block as the other three schools, as much as Kuroo wanted to crush Fukurodani and Nohebi in a match.

Kuroo then surprised Yukimi when he ran towards her and lifted her in a warm hug. It was awkward when he realized that he did that without thinking but quickly relaxed when Yukimi happily wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing along with the rest of the team.

After a joyous win for their team, Yukimi went to Miyagi the following week to fulfill her promise of watching her potential stepbrother (something that Oikawa and she established after spending the weekend annoying each other, mainly the boy pestering her) orchestrated an unrivaled game. It was a first for her — sleeping in a house other than Daichi’s in Miyagi and she could feel the ominous aura coming from the locked door of Oikawa’s room. She could faintly hear the loud murmur from the brunet’s headphones and had to remind Oikawa that he needed rest, seeing as he has a game tomorrow.

It was also the first time Yukimi felt torn.

Now that Oikawa started to grow on her, the dark-haired girl was at a loss for words when Karasuno won their match against his team. It was one of the best matches she had ever seen, it sent her leaning at the edge of her seat at every bump of the volleyball. Yukimi knew he was keeping his tears at bay with a blank face as they bowed in front of the spectators, and it just so happened that his brown eyes met hers for the first time since he stepped on the court. Earlier, she decided to sit in a row of chairs without any indication that she was siding with either team. But it seems like Oikawa still managed to find her and Yukimi felt her chest constrict when the brunet looked away with a pursed face and clenched fists.

Letting Oikawa be with his teammates, Yukimi congratulated her friends. It was nice to hug Daichi again after being absent on their second joint practice with Nekoma and Fukurodani. She knew that there will be more hugs to come, believing in Karasuno more than anything for the finals the next day. As much as the short-haired boy wanted to invite her for dinner in his rowdy house, Daichi understood that she will be busy attending to Oikawa since she was staying there for the weekend.

(It was a great shock for Daichi to know that Yukimi had a connection with Oikawa.

“I know what you’re going to say, Daichi.”

“I’m not even saying anything.” A pause and a thoughtful hum that sounded like a judgmental one for the girl. “It’s just that I couldn’t exactly imagine you two together in one room, let alone being siblings in the near future. Congratulations to Natsumi-baa-san, though.”)

Come the next day where Karasuno will grapple for the position of Miyagi’s representative with the famed Shiratorizawa, Yukimi purposely sat down in one of the vacant seats near the people cheering for Karasuno. It was hard pulling away from Oikawa when they got inside the gym, the dark-haired girl even had to ask for Iwaizumi’s help to not miss the first few minutes of the game.

(“Kimi-chan!” Oikawa whined. “You have to sit with us! I don’t want you being contaminated with those crows’ resolve. My precious little—“

“I’m older than you.”

“—other older sister should be where she feels safe,” the brunet gestured wildly between him and his expressionless best friend, “and the safest place is with us. Besides I’m in disguise, my fangirls won’t even recognize me with glasses on.”

Yukimi blinked at the last statement. The nerve of this boy rubbing it on everyone’s faces that he has a growing fanbase needed to be put on a leash. It seems like she shared the thought with the spiky-haired boy beside Oikawa, sharing a bored glance with him over the wavy-haired boy’s shoulder. Iwaizumi was a breath of fresh air from the times she was with Oikawa. He was a blunt individual, something that he was never afraid of when it comes to reprimanding his airhead of a childhood friend. If there was one person needed to put the egoistic, milk-bread-loving Oikawa Tooru everybody adored in his place, it would be his Spartan-like childhood friend. Yukimi sighed, tired of her stepbrother’s stalling. “Tooru, just let me support my best friend. You know that Daichi is an important person to me. I can’t afford to sit in a secluded corner where he can’t see me.”

“But,” Oikawa trailed off.

“Oi, Shittykawa, let her sit where she wants to sit,” Iwaizumi interjected with crossed arms. “You don’t own her.”

“Thank you, Iwaizumi-san.”

“No problem, Yukimi-san.”

“See, this is why I don’t want you two to meet each other!”

After a couple of ticking seconds, the brunet had no choice but to give in. Iwaizumi’s glare meant instant death and he still needed to finish that volleyball rerun he left off last night because of Yukimi’s nagging to sleep early after bawling his eyes out.

“Oh, I deduced that you wouldn’t be lingering here for the awards so you can go home without me.”

“You don’t want to spend some time with me after this?!”

Yukimi let out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t say that, Tooru.” With a smile, she gave a nod to Iwaizumi and went up the bleachers, sitting near Tanaka’s older sister who gawked when Yukimi gave her a friendly smile.)

Five sets and Yukimi felt like her heart was about to burst at every point. She didn’t know how much force she was gripping on Yachi’s hand when Tsukishima managed to injure his fingers and everyone below in the court was practically grimacing from the soreness of their legs. The younger girl didn’t mind that her hand was cutting off circulation because she was reciprocating it to the dark-haired girl as well, the both of them nervous with the outcome of the game. Five sets and a synchronized attack with Hinata calling the shots, everybody was in shock the moment Karasuno was declared the winner of the Miyagi Prefecture Qualifiers. Nobody expected a bunch of underdogs to have the goddess of victory shining her light down on them. They always thought that the powerhouse school sporting magenta and white would retake their spot in the nationals. Disbelief colored the faces of the people occupying the gymnasium.

It was decided.

And Yukimi met Daichi’s expectant gaze with her teary yet determined ones. A gaze saying that they were waiting for their side to claim victory over the other schools in Tokyo. A gaze that made Yukimi grin, her whole heart placing its trust on her volleyball club more than ever and her mind thrummed with excitement.

It’s not too late to tell the others that the murder of crows was now one step ahead in their path of making their legendary match happen. Of course, they had no problems catching up. They weren’t called Nekoma for nothing, after all.

*

“Hey.”

Yukimi looked up from sorting through the decorations for the cultural festival three days from now. It was a free week for Metropolitan Nekoma High since the annual cultural festival was set to start on Thursday and end with the fireworks on Saturday. It was an event most in the volleyball club didn’t exactly warm up to (Taketora said it was a chance for him to have the famed firework confession, to which everyone in the club blinked at in stunned silence). For Yukimi, it was a chance for her to be a part of the committee and not participate in any existing contest, putting her manager role into good use. Now, their whole class was starting on the decorations for their classroom, planning a layout for the chairs, and going through the inventory. They were opting for a Western café, with the girls dressing in suits as the waiters or ‘butlers’, as the others would like to call it.

The class representative was completely against the whole maid café set-up and reluctantly agreed to a butler café instead, saying that they needed a change.

Caramel drew a pair of golden irises in as Kuroo leaned on the wall beside her, his elbows supporting him as he placed them on the windowsill. Yukimi let her gaze run from his smiling face to his figure clad in the winter uniform. Fall was slowly making its peak, the wind chilly yet gentle. Not too cold for the students to wear a jacket over their blazer or add on a scarf as an accessory. Again, Yukimi hummed under her breath when she noted that he still looked good in their winter uniform and turned back to putting the new curtains neatly on the table near her, heartbeat accelerating at the presence of the messy-haired boy.

“Hey,” she replied with a soft smile, her hands now reaching for a bunch of artificial flowers.

Kuroo pensively stared at Yukimi’s visage. No matter how many times he would do so, she never failed to make him mesmerized at how effortlessly she carried the aesthetic she was blessed with. There was a variety as to how Yukimi would present herself. At times, when she would smile the widest, Kuroo noticed how adorable she looked. In times where she was concentrating on something, her beauty was stark and people would take a second look at her. Now, Yukimi’s soft features were taking everything in Kuroo not to reach out a hand to touch her. Catching himself in the last minute, the messy-haired boy looked down on the box of decorations.

“Hana,” Kuroo mindlessly stated, his hand fiddling with the artificial orange carnation in his hand.

As Yukimi turned her head to look at him, the golden-eyed boy gently placed the flower behind her ear, their gazes finally meeting for longer than a minute for the first time since their breakup. As the background faded away, Yukimi’s face erupted in a blush as she let herself be swallowed by Kuroo’s half-lidded, soft stare. Thinking that she had to do something to slow down her fast heartbeat, the caramel-eyed girl fumbled with an artificial cluster of cherry blossoms and gingerly stood on her tip-toes to tuck it behind Kuroo’s ear. She couldn’t help but remark that the light pink flowers went well with his jet-black hair as her fingers lingered on Kuroo’s surprisingly soft strands.

“There,” Yukimi chirped, smiling at Kuroo’s shocked mien. “You look pretty.”

“That should be my line,” Kuroo murmured, looking at anywhere besides Yukimi. There was a time where the messy-haired boy would meet Yukimi’s gaze head-on and not feel nervous, letting the butterflies swallow him whole. In fact, it made him want to capture her attention and make it stay on him the longest. However, now that they’ve broken up, Kuroo’s feelings doubled over and it was hard for him to stay in the same vicinity as her. He doesn’t know how to act, knowing that they don’t have a definite relationship to base their actions on. The messy-haired boy was always in a dilemma if he should act as Yukimi’s friend or keep on wooing her for another chance. In the end, it came down to acting like when he first started realized his feelings for her — awkward and sappy. “Then, if I’m pretty,” he looked at her with a small smile, “you’re beautiful, Hana.”

Yukimi breathed a laugh, now getting used to Kuroo’s constant stream of compliments. The smile on her face after sobering from her chuckles reached her eyes that it rendered the messy-haired boy speechless, based on his wide eyes and parted lips. The more time she spent with the captain and the volleyball club, she realized that she couldn’t exactly squirm away from their praises, deciding that it would be best to just let them be instead of her usual retaliations.

“I guess I should thank you for that, Tetsurou,” the caramel-eye girl lightheartedly told him.

Seeing the refreshing change in the girl’s eyes, Kuroo was awestruck. This was the main cause of their fights (banters) a while back — Kuroo explaining why she deserves to be called any positive adjective and Yukimi rebutting everything with her negative qualities because she never believed in those buttered-up words. With a smile, Kuroo placed an affectionate hand on top of Yukimi’s head and ruffled her hair a little bit — the most physical contact he can do with their newly mended friendship.

“I’m happy,” Kuroo breathed, patting her head after a while and retracting his hand, tucking it in the pocket of his blazer.

The whole time they were silent, Yukimi worked diligently in finishing her task. “I’m done,” the caramel-eyed girl let out a sigh of relief once her job was finished and ready to hand over to the people responsible for designing their classroom.

“Wanna go take a break and buy some refreshments?” Kuroo offered, casually tilting his head towards the opened door. Seeing Yukimi’s eyes light up, Kuroo couldn’t help but grin, butterflies occupying his stomach. Before he led the way, he remembered that the cluster of cherry blossoms was still perched behind his ear. Stopping abruptly, the messy-haired boy turned to the girl beside him, “Hana, do you have any hair-tie?”

“Yeah, I always have an extra one in my pocket.” Yukimi curiously looked up at the tall black-haired boy before taking out the said hair-tie from her pocket. “Here.”

“Can you stand in front of me for a sec?” the golden-eyed boy requested, stretching the hair ornament with his hand. The girl patiently waited for him to do something while she did what he said. Kuroo prayed that Yukimi’s hair will look alright the moment he carefully took locks of her dark hair, making a loose, low half ponytail. He had to make sure there weren’t some tangles in the bottom part of her hair, his hands now gently raking through the strands. Some of their classmates stopped working to give the pair curious glances (Yaku was discreetly pulling out his phone to take a picture) but Kuroo paid them no attention as he concentrated on making Yukimi’s hairstyle presentable. The shoulder-length hair that made him change his preferences were now reaching the girl’s upper back in loose waves, Kuroo noticed. Taking the cherry blossoms from his ear, he inserted the artificial twig in her ponytail, tucking it in the hair-tie. Satisfied with his work, Kuroo hummed while brushing his hand against her neck. “There you go.”

Yukimi turned around with narrowed eyes. “What did you do?”

“Just wanted to enhance your beauty,” he answered with a large smile, taking her hand in his the next moment to pull her to the door. “Let’s go get our drinks from the vending machines. We should buy some snacks as well.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” the dark-haired girl answered after a few seconds of staring at Kuroo with awe. She turned to where Yaku was and waved her hand to catch his attention. “Yakkun, do you want anything from the vending machines?”

“Just a box of strawberry milk, Yuki-chan!”

“Okay,” Yukimi replied with a smile before giving her attention to Kuroo, who was narrowing his eyes at how Yaku immediately flashed a cheeky thumbs-up the moment Yukimi turned away from him.

Placing a firm arm around her shoulder (Kuroo hovered his hand on her waist and decided that her shoulders will be a better place to put his hand on), the messy-haired boy steered Yukimi towards the entrance of their classroom while maintaining eye-contact with the libero. As much as Kuroo treasured his friends very well, Yaku was definitely getting on his nerves every time the previous couple showed any signs of pining from their smallest interactions. There was no doubt that the shorter boy took a picture earlier and might have sent it to an unfortunate member of their club, most likely Kai. After their breakup and after mulling it for a couple of days, the golden-eyed captain finally told the third-year members of the volleyball club that he was no longer in a relationship with their manager, coming clean with everything and admitting that something was playing a bigger part in their separation, which only Yukimi had the right to open up.

“So,” Kuroo started on a light tone, pressing the buttons for the bottle of banana milk Yukimi was eyeing endearingly and his preferred watermelon soda, “how do you feel about being one of the ‘butlers’ during the cultural festival?”

Yukimi was an immediate suggestion as one of their class’ waiters, mainly Yaku blurting out her name the moment the class representative asked for some volunteers. The caramel-eyed girl nearly had a heart attack while listing some needed decorations on the board when the libero happily yelled her name. She wanted to evade it like always but Kuroo seconded Yaku’s suggestion with a lazy raise of his hand, something that narrowed Yukimi’s eyes while they had their meeting. Almost immediately, everybody in their class agreed that Yukimi will be the head butler in their little café. Kuroo and Yaku had the audacity to grin innocently as the dark-haired girl silently fumed in front of their classroom.

“I guess I have you and Yakkun to thank for that,” Yukimi answered, eyeing him from the corners of her eyes. “But it’s pretty exciting and I’m _slightly_ looking forward to it.” At the word ‘slightly’, the dark-haired girl lifted her shoulders along with narrowing her eyes.

“Only slightly?” Kuroo cheekily had to ask, nudging her shoulder against his lightly.

The girl rolled her eyes with a smile. “Scratch slightly,” she started, “I’m actually looking forward to it since I mostly participate with my clubs during school festivals rather than our classes.”

Truth be told, Yukimi never showed her face to their class at every cultural festival. It would make Kuroo curious until he would find himself in front of a certain booth containing the caramel-eyed girl. Their first year, she was in charge of the photography club’s picture booth (she was mostly the errand girl for being the only first-year present that didn’t have any other responsibilities). Last year, Yukimi was always absent since she practiced for one of the highlights of the festival, being a choir member. This year, Kuroo was relieved to see her interact with their classmates and even to the point of going further than flashing them a beautiful and out-of-their-league smile. She was starting to make friends despite the many years she was classmates with the people in their year-level. It was a slow process but Yukimi was showing effort in establishing relationships that should’ve happened years ago if not for her bubbling anxiety.

Yukimi placed a hand on top of her chest, where her heart was beating regularly at the thought of socializing without worries for the first time. “I’m starting to feel okay with expressing myself more. It makes me feel light rather than suffocating when I talk to our classmates more.” She smiled wistfully before shifting her gaze at Kuroo. “And I have you to thank for that, Tetsurou. Thank you for everything you do since the start of the academic year. Even though it was only a few months, you’ve become everything to me.”

An acquaintance in the same club.

An unexpected best friend that stemmed from unspoken feelings.

A treasured significant other that was more than fleeting.

Kuroo was speechless as he stared at Yukimi, vibrant with her feelings pouring out solely for him to feel and grasp. It was a good kind of overwhelming and he basked under the intensity of her words. He could feel tears pricking at the back of his eyes. Their silence was interrupted by the clang of their chosen drinks but that didn’t stop Kuroo from reaching out and pulling Yukimi in a warm hug, his face buried under her hair. Chest warming and face rivaling the heat, the messy-haired boy was praying that Yukimi wouldn’t hear how fast his heart was beating. They stayed in that position for a couple of seconds before Kuroo pulled away, flustered and choking up in his words once he saw how stunned Yukimi was.

Placing both of his hands on her arms, he exclaimed with a determined façade, “Hana, let’s watch the fireworks together.”

 _Rumor has it that if you’re watching the fireworks at the end of the cultural festival with the person you like the most, there’s a chance something amazing will happen._ Kuroo never once paid any attention to their school’s urban legends but this is not an opportunity he will pass by.

Heat blossomed on Yukimi’s cheeks, lips parted as she stared at Kuroo wordlessly.

“I will take this chance to make you the happiest at this festival.”

 _You’re the reason why I’m happy every day_ , the words died down inside Yukimi’s chest, constantly reminding her that there wasn’t anything lingering between her and the golden-eyed boy. Yet all she could do was flash a beautiful smile that took Kuroo’s breath away, saying, “It would be amazing — watching the fireworks with you, Tetsurou.”

Now, both of them have something to look forward to in the coming days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAA It's been a while !!! To be honest, I was only trying to take a break from writing a week before our academic break but here we are, the last day of the break and I still have the guts to post a chapter when I should be sleeping early for class tomorrow. I know this is one of my shorter chapters and there's nothing going on but this is a chapter I was struggling to write. I immediately felt lighter once I deemed it appropriate to be read by you. I promise to make this fic worthwhile !!（っ＾▿＾）
> 
> Happy new year to everyone and here's to our resolutions waiting to be fulfilled this year !! 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day !! (っ◔◡◔)っ ❤


	42. MISSING COLORS.

Summer just said its goodbyes but Yukimi found herself constantly fanning her face and neck with her empty tray. Their classroom was packed with visitors, mostly girls, which is a great surprise. Of course, the sign in front of their designated area for the cultural festival was to blame — _Crossdressing Café of Class 3-5_. Yukimi wished that the one who came up with that name (she took a glance at their vice-president cackling in the kitchen area) will have a bad lunch or break since the assigned cooks have an irregular schedule of staying inside their little sanctuary. That godforsaken name was something the medium-haired girl didn’t mind until she saw the costumes their class representative showed them. She nearly backed out but when Yaku seemed to materialize out of nowhere the moment she turned around, she knew had no choice.

Which led to this moment.

“What’s your name?” A curious yet giggling voice came from Yukimi’s right.

“Uhm,” Yukimi stuttered, blinking rapidly at the tenth girl to ask her that question. All of the assigned butlers were given aliases, however, Yukimi didn’t give it much thought, assuming that the guests won’t pay attention to her as she did her job. She thought wrong as she stared at the awestruck and hopeless expressions of the pair of girls in front of her. Looking at the side for any person to ask for help, Yukimi silently cursed when she didn’t spot anyone willing to aid her (all of them flashing apologetic looks, enjoying how their star waiter captured everyone’s attention). Turning back to the girl who asked the question, she flashed a half-smile and dipped her head in a slight bow, all the while keeping her eyes on the blushing girl. “I go by Yuki, young miss.”

“She’s a freaking natural,” Yaku murmured as he wiped his face with a clean towel, his eyes never leaving the girl. “I know Yukimi-chan has the charm to bewitch girls but I never knew placing her in a butler outfit and a wig would result in that.”

“Man,” Kuroo whined, his chin placed on top of his hands clutching their class’ broom, “I’m jealous.”

“Who? Of Yukimi-chan?”

The messy-haired boy slowly shifted his attention to Yaku, blinking in disbelief at the shorter boy’s remark. “No, you dumbass, of those girls,” he punctuated it with a tilt in his head.

The libero narrowed his eyes. “For a second, I thought you finally moved on.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Yaku replied, “Figures,” before drifting his gaze to the subject of their conversation.

Thinking about it, Yukimi outdid herself by putting on the costume (which consisted of a pair of slacks, an inner, button-up shirt, and a tailcoat covering the ensemble — in other words, their class full-out begged for the theater club to lend them some of their secondhand costumes) and even applying a small amount of eye make-up to highlight her face. As for why there was a cluster of girls flocking their caramel-eyed friend, Yukimi definitely resembled a character from a shoujo manga, the ones who the readers mourn over after being rejected by the heroine. Or the junior who became a part of the main character’s harem — the cutesy type everybody adored. At least for Yaku’s eyes. She can easily pass off as a young man, more feminine in terms of features, and yet can attract a good number of people despite her appearance.

Well, the guests knew what they were going into with that huge ass sign plastered on every part of their door but the libero couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something amiss whenever Yukimi did her job in front of the ladies.

They looked like they really believed Yukimi was a guy.

A blinding _bishounen_.

Yaku snorted at that thought, catching the attention of Kuroo, who was now assigned to cutting the vegetables.

“What is it, Yakkun? Did something happen to Hana?” Kuroo asked continuously, looking around their classroom. Lunchtime was nearing and the number of people going inside their classroom increased, making Kuroo tilt his head upwards to see past the heads of their customers. As if he was calling out her name verbally, Yukimi turned to meet his searching gaze, igniting the messy-haired boy’s heart to race. Even though Yukimi was dressed as a boy, with the pixie-cut wig, Kuroo’s breath was still stolen away. After a few seconds of staring, the caramel-eyed girl grinned and flashed a peace sign at him. Kuroo abruptly looked away and aggressively chopped the vegetables with a red face.

“Geez, what did the carrots do to you, Tetsurou?”

“Yuki-chan!” Yaku made sure not to call her by her first name since he had a feeling the girl will be using her nickname as her alias.

Kuroo lifted his golden gaze. Yukimi was in front of the counter, slowly taking off the tailcoat and loosening the tie around her neck, body faced to where Yaku was situated as they engaged in a light conversation. He admired how her eyelashes seemed fuller with the mascara and how the light dusting of brown eyeshadow made her eyes sharper. He admired how she effortlessly made his heartbeat race a hundred kilometers per hour with a single laugh. The messy-haired boy openly adored Yukimi as each second passed by. Even with the whole cross-dressing get-up, Kuroo still finds the dark-haired girl—

“Beautiful.” Hearing Yaku’s chattering stop, Kuroo then realized that he said his thoughts out loud and was met with silence. For the love of God, the cultural festival was not on his side since the start of the opening. First thing in the morning, he was late to the assembly (a good thing that Yukimi was part of the committee so she didn’t mark him as tardy). Then he nearly got bombarded by a group of girls for accompanying the caramel-eyed girl while she was dressed as a butler (both of them having their break at the same time), which resulted in the girl being an angel once again by saying to her newly-formed fan club that she wants to spend her break with her friend. And now this.

At the side, Yaku crossed his arms on his chest and rose an eyebrow. His shocked visage became a knowing one as his lips displayed a smirk. “There you go,” he chirped. “Why don’t you two spend your break together again?”

“Break?” Kuroo asked in a daze, still not looking away from Yukimi’s eyes.

“Yeah, it’s your turn to have lunch,” Yaku answered. “Kagami told me that he just finished his lunch. You know the order of our shifts, right?”

“Oh.” At that, the messy-haired boy looked helplessly at the chopped carrots before glancing at Yukimi, who was now reading their menu while waiting for him (their food committee really did good in coming up with these dishes and drinks, Yukimi promised to herself that she had to try one before the highlights). “Hana,” the said girl hummed in response, “wanna have lunch together? If you don’t mind?”

For no reason whatsoever, there was now a hint of nervousness every time Kuroo asked if the caramel-eyed girl had any time to spare for his inconspicuous dates or hang-outs. It wasn’t like before where they had an established relationship and he had every ounce of confidence in their shared feelings but now, they were walking on eggshells every time they were together. There was no guarantee that Yukimi still reciprocated his feelings — he has his overthinking brain to blame for this. He hated it.

“I was waiting for you to ask that,” Yukimi answered with a sweet smile. She then turned to Yaku, handing her tailcoat and vest to the libero, who happily accepted the clothing. “Yakkun, can you look after my costume, we’ll be back in a bit.”

“Sure thing, Yuki-chan!”

“Let me take off my apron first,” Kuroo told her, going to where his bag was placed at the side of the kitchen. Putting it on top of his backpack, the golden-eyed boy quickly took out his hoodie and two wrapped lunchboxes before jogging around the counter. Once he was in front of Yukimi, he grinned, “Raise your hands.” As the girl followed his instructions, he put the hoodie on her, mentally cooing at how she pouted with a flushed face when he covered her head with the hood. “To disguise you from your fan club,” pinching her cheeks gently before staring at her pensively. Dropping his voice in a whisper, Kuroo told her, “You look cute in my clothes.”

Feeling the warmth traveling from her face to her ears and neck, Yukimi planted her hands on the sides of Kuroo’s face and squished his cheeks in response to his remark. Truthfully, with the way Kuroo was looking at her at the moment (if he doesn’t look like a fish out of a pool of water with her hands still pushing his cheeks together), it was enough to fluster the dark-haired girl. The only choice to avoid those golden irises was to scan the menu again. She intentionally focused her eyes on the beverages. That large cup of amber iced tea will definitely soothe her nerves at being close to Kuroo. Damn it, now she’s acting like she just experienced her first love all over again. Her irritation might have shown in her face because Yukimi felt Kuroo gently taking her hands from his face, proceeding to rub his thumbs over the back of them with a wary expression on his face.

“Yakkun, I think I’d like to order something.” Yukimi fixated her eyes on the brown-haired boy behind the counter, who was tending to another customer seconds before she said those words. Placing a few bills on the counter, Yukimi listed. “I’ll have two pieces of apple turnovers and a large amber tea, please. Thank you.”

Yaku grinned at his caramel-eyed friend before narrowing his eyes at Kuroo and taking the money from the counter. “This,” he pointed at Yukimi, “is what you should be doing. You should support the class’ business! Not prepare your own bento!”

“For your information, Yakkun, these bento boxes,” Kuroo glanced at the lunchboxes dangling in his hand, “are fruits of my labor and affection for Hana.” (Yukimi looked back at Kuroo with wide eyes, to which bubbled pride inside his chest.) “If you really want me to buy some from our class, I’ll pay for Hana’s drink.”

“Buy your own drinks!”

“Tetsurou, I can pay for my tea.”

“Fine,” Kuroo sighed as he released Yukimi’s hand from his hold and proceeded to take out his wallet from his back pocket. Taking out the exact amount for a club sandwich and a tall cup of black coffee, Kuroo handed it to Yaku who was beaming with joy at how he managed to trick his friend into buying something from their class business. At this point, most of their customers are students from their year level who were also victims of extreme convincing from some students in their class. “One club sandwich with a fried egg and a large black coffee. Please don’t add any cream like that time you ordered for me, Yakkun.”

“Oh, come on,” Yaku threw his hands in the air while walking towards the kitchen to tell the couple’s orders, “who would drink that anyways? It tastes like battery water.”

“Exactly,” Kuroo deadpanned. He remembered how Taketora and Yaku would snatch his drink while he’d excuse himself to go to the bathroom whenever they visit the nearby café, unaware of his orders. There were unlucky days for the two of them if Kuroo ordered his usual go-to de-stressor. He also vividly recalled how Taketora twitched every second because that damned boy never knew how to handle too much caffeine for such a loud personality. As for Yaku, well, Kuroo might have been dead that time from how sharp the libero’s eyes were. He doesn’t regret not telling them what exactly is inside his cup. “Try sipping from that and let’s see what happens.” He then heard a loud yawn come from Yukimi, making him look at her with a soft smile. “You that tired, huh?”

The dark-haired girl rose an eyebrow at him. “You try serving girls for hours dressed like this.”

“I’d rather not.”

Yukimi laughed at the lack of hesitation, slowly leaning against Kuroo’s side as they waited for their orders. “I know. I should probably down some of your coffee if I hear one more person ask for my name.”

The golden-eyed boy cackled, resting his hand on the shorter girl’s hip. “Please don’t. We know how you are when you intake too much coffee.” He affectionately squeezed Yukimi’s side. “I don’t want you palpitating over me.”

“I just told you a story of how I was shaking from caffeine and now you’re preventing me from drinking it?” Yukimi rolled her eyes with a smile, nudging Kuroo slightly (which didn’t affect at all since the taller boy happened to be made of stone from working his ass off in volleyball). “I have to drink that sometimes, too, you know? With all the sleepless nights our last year in high school brings, I would be surprised if there are students here who haven’t relied on coffee to keep them awake.”

“You got a point.”

For the remainder of their wait, Kuroo couldn’t help but stare at Yukimi while she relaxed against his side. Warmth enveloped his chest as he envisioned the dark-haired girl in his shirt, scuffling around a kitchen belonging to an apartment that he would one day afford. His mind took the reins and wandered even more. How Yukimi would turn around when she hears him chuckling and leaning by the counter. How he would wrap his arms around her torso and snuggle into the crook of her neck, her laughter following soon afterward. How he would feel whole and complete with her by his side. The image was still playing in his mind as caramel irises lift to meet his gaze. Those curious yet glinting eyes took his breath away and replaced it with a bubble of tingles (the good kind).

At this point, Kuroo couldn’t imagine a life without Kazahana Yukimi in it.

*

“What do you want to do after high school? ‘Cause I know I’ll be studying chemistry as my life depended on it,” a hum, “and maybe join a college volleyball team.”

Finding a good spot to enjoy their lunch took most of their free time. However, the moment they sat down in one of the secluded courtyards of their school was enough to relieve the stress brought about by the day. Even Yukimi took off the wig and let her hair down from the tight pins embedded in her head. It has been a while since the two of them ate lunch like this — the last time was probably when they were still in a relationship. They both decided that dwelling on what happened the previous weeks will only amount to an awkwardness that they won’t like. So lunch was spent making casual conversation, with a little teasing here and there (mainly from Kuroo).

Yukimi looked up from stuffing her face with the egg fried rice Kuroo made for her. The sight of her looking like a squirrel made Kuroo laugh. Swallowing down first, she answered while reaching for a piece of tempura, “Hmm, I think I’ll pursue biological sciences,” as if they were words akin to a good morning greeting. “As of now,” Yukimi paused, her expression tight as she weighed everything on her mind, “I’ll just see where that takes me. I’m still indecisive about which specialization I’ll take.”

Always out of his league — this girl sitting in front of him.

Kuroo reached out a hand and cupped her cheek. He stared at her with the softest eyes filled with raw adoration and admiration that it was hard for Yukimi to look away from the intensity beheld in his gaze. Rubbing his thumb over her cheek, Kuroo gently placed his forehead against hers

“I’ll be with you along the way.”

Flooded with feelings in the form of butterflies that were accumulating inside her stomach, Yukimi found herself lost inside those golden irises, wading across the flecks of amber that glinted against the sunlight passing through the leaves of the canopy of trees above them.

She chose to risk it.

Her lips brushed against his tentatively, akin to a petal of cherry blossom on one’s cheek during spring. Feeling Kuroo’s breath hitching, Yukimi felt embarrassment pool inside her chest, pulling herself back from the warmth she terribly missed. However, Kuroo gently pushed their lunch to the side and wrapped an arm around her, making her emit a small sound of surprise. The back-haired boy relaxed against the trunk of the tree shading them from the noon Sun and at the same time, adjusted his hold on Yukimi so that she was snug on his lap. With their height difference, the caramel-eyed girl was still eye-level with Kuroo and it was doing nothing to quell the loud beatings of her heart.

Entranced with the way her lips parted, Kuroo dipped his head and their lips met as if they had never stopped being lovers.

He missed this.

The heavy pants every time they part for some air. The lack of space between their bodies made Kuroo’s mind ran wild with thoughts he shouldn’t vocalize. The sounds she made let him see sparks from behind his eyelids. Her eyelashes caressed his upper cheek. Her small, dainty hands running from his chest to his hair, mapping him out like a memory to be treasured.

He missed this.

The warmth bubbling inside his chest, almost to the point that his heart was pinching in pain. The security she offered since they spent their time together — more than classmates, more than the captain and manager of the volleyball club, more than newfound friends pestering each other. The unprecedented love they shared in that short amount of time — how he poured out his feelings to her in any way possible and the fact that she returned it through the littlest steps that were enough for him. The physical contact that they both needed in their drowning times.

His eyes started to burn and his cheeks were wet with tears.

Slightly pulling away, he saw Yukimi crying. Placing a tender kiss on the tip of her nose, Kuroo murmured,

“I miss you, Hana.”

*

During the whole cultural festival, Yukimi never shared another moment alone with Kuroo after their rendezvous in the hidden courtyard. Being a part of the committee was now starting to take a toll on her mind and body. Even though she was a part of the higher years in the small organization, she still handled some work, taking her back to her time as a first-year student (where the seniors abuse their power over the juniors and let them do the work). The good news was that no snotty seniors were ordering her around to carry two stacked-up boxes filled with decorations for the annual pageant. Honestly speaking, this is much better than being in the pageant itself. Who knows what will happen if she was picked to be the representative of their class?

(Yaku was one of the many people in Class 3-5 to suggest Yukimi as their representative for Ms. Nekoma but was quickly denied when the said girl showed her committee badge. He had to think of ways on how to convince her but again, Yukimi left him disheartened. Kuroo cackled throughout their meeting at seeing Yaku’s pouting face, irking the class representative with how loud his laugh was.)

Yukimi can only sigh at that memory. The previous two years in Nekoma was spent evading any opportune moment to have her be the face of their classes in pageants. There was nothing wrong with those events since all the contestants had to do was stand on the stage, be pretty for a couple of minutes, and wait for the host to announce the counted votes. The embarrassing part of that was the dance that will be shared by the winning pair. She had to suppress a shudder at that thought. That would mean showing the entire student body that Kazahana Yukimi possessed two left feet and couldn’t dance to save her life.

“Kazahana-san, thank you so much for helping the technical team with the maintenance,” one of the members of the cultural committee told her while wiping the side of her face with a towel. “You can have a break if you want.”

Yukimi smiled, leaning her back against the side of the stage. “No problem, Ayazawa-san. If you don’t mind, can I spend my break here? It would be hard to maneuver with this crowd.” She gestured her water bottle to the increasing numbers of students gathering in front of the stage, eager to witness the contestants.

Ayazawa grimaced as she eyed the giggling girls in the front rows. “I bet we have to use earplugs tonight.” The caramel-eyed girl glanced at her acquaintance in curiosity. Seeing the questioning gaze Yukimi gave her, Ayazawa chuckled. “The school’s heartthrob is joining. Heard he was still fresh from that play the theater club has been doing reruns for years. This would be one hell of a night if you ask me.”

“Heartthrob?” Yukimi’s mind drew a blank. In all her years in Nekoma, the heartthrob she always knew was Kuroo, and the fact that he wasn’t even in the pageant, much less a member of the theater club, was confusing Yukimi. She even had no idea where that boy is at the moment. Most likely scavenging the stalls for some snacks along with members of the volleyball club

“Oh, you’ll see, Kazahana-san.”

Excited squeals were all Yukimi could hear at this time of the night. It seemed like time flew by and the next thing she knew, she was the center of attention, all because of that heartthrob her fellow committee member told her about. It was a mistake that she had to stay at the pageant venue and supervise the said event because at the moment, Kawakami Tenshi, with his blinding blonde-dyed hair that curled on the tips of his ears and radiant smile, was asking for her hand at the dance. Apparently, Kawakami was the winner of Mr. Nekoma and instead of being the partner of his female counterpart, he specifically requested an impromptu change.

“So, Kazahana-san, will you be my partner for the night?”

To be honest, Kawakami Tenshi was the embodiment of his name. Of course, she couldn’t miss that platinum blonde hair every time she passed by the third-year corridors but she had no reason to delve deeper in understanding his character, mind preoccupied with different matters (at that time, Romio, and now; the volleyball club, academics, and Kuroo). He was dressed as a prince fresh out of a fairy tale, seeing as he played the role of the gallant heir of a kingdom in his club’s play, Snow White and Rose Red. Even Yukimi couldn’t deny that he was attractive — hair swept to the sides of his face and framing his delicate features. His given name lived up to its word. However, there was a gush of uneasiness washing her insides as she stared at the outstretched, gloved hand. It took Yukimi a full minute to conjure up a response and the pressure from all the eyes boring on her didn’t help in the slightest.

“Uhm—“

Right when she was about to speak her mind, the newly crowned Ms. Nekoma also got hold of the microphone from the announcer. She was a second-year sweetheart, with that shy countenance and endearingly cute face, there was no way a rejection will cross her way. “Since Kawakami-kun had a request of his own, I wanted to ask permission as well to change my dancing partner to whomever I like,” the girl whispered through the microphone. She closed her eyes, her grip on the device tightening and her shoulders raising as she took a deep breath. “Kuroo-senpai, will you be my dance partner for the night?”

Yukimi’s eyes widened at the declaration, turning around to where the spotlight was aimed at. But the sight illuminated by the lights made her laugh. Kuroo was stuffing his mouth with a curry bread roll, Taketora and Lev by hid side doing the same. Apparently, the volleyball club was betting on who would eat the curry bread they hoarded the fastest and it just so happened that they were enjoying their moment until Kuroo’s name was mentioned through the speakers. Confused at the attention, Kuroo’s eyes searched the crowd and immediately rose his eyebrows at Yukimi. The girl only shrugged in reply.

The announcer fumbled back for the microphone. “I would like to call Kazahana Yukimi and Kuroo Tetsurou of the volleyball club to please come up to the stage for the dance.”

The caramel-eyed girl sighed, already stepping on the first step of the stairs leading to her doom but a tug on her shirt stopped her in her tracks. Looking back, she was met with Kuroo’s face lit up in mischief. _Oh, no_ , she thought as his hand traveled from the back of her shirt to her wrist.

“Sorry, Miyawaki, but I would have to reject that offer,” the messy-haired boy grinned and winked at a gaping Yukimi, “I have somewhere I need to be with a special someone. Have fun, kids!” Ever so slightly, he pulled Yukimi to him and started jogging away from the crowd, his laughter coloring the night with yellows and oranges that set a wave of emotions ablaze inside Yukimi’s stomach. The previous uneasiness she felt when Kawakami offered his hand turned into a torpedo of excitement as she found herself laughing alongside Kuroo, hastening her pace to match with his. “Come on, Hana, let’s go to the pools.”

“Slow down first, you long-legged idiot!”

“Well, then.” Kuroo abruptly stopped placed an arm under Yukimi’s knees and another arm behind her back, a yelp following soon after. “Better hold on tight, kitten.” The girl’s cheeks colored rouge under the moonlight while she wrapped her arms around Kuroo’s shoulders, her head resting at the crook of his neck. His lavender scent reminded Yukimi of her safe space and smiled a little before feeling herself being let down since they finally reached their destination. Kuroo still had his arm around her torso, facing her with a grin that rivaled the dome of stars glowing above them. “There we go, glad we could escape from that.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I can’t believe our names were called.”

Shaking herself from her trance, Yukimi pushed his chest playfully and laughed. “And I can’t believe you just did that. Now, what will that second-year do after you left her hanging on the stage?”

“I think,” Kuroo started, pulling Yukimi to where the diving boards were, “she will start having an idea that I already belong to a very amazing person.” His eyes flickered to Yukimi, who was once again in shock at how easily those words came out of his mouth. Her lips were parted as she stared at him with wide eyes, heart pounding like the music somewhere around their school’s vicinity. The golden-eyed boy’s lips quirked into a soft smile, the hand around the girl’s waist pulling her forward until she was against his chest. “And there was no way I’m going to let someone change that.” Gingerly like the first time he held her hand, Kuroo placed his forehead against hers. “I’m yours, Hana. I want you to remember that my heart is beating solely for you every day and it hurts knowing that you might not return it after our break-up.”

“Tetsurou,” Yukimi whispered under her breath the exact moment the highlight of the festival exploded in a cacophony of colors. A variety of pinks and oranges, azures and emeralds, they lit up the sky the way the stars do and it strayed Yukimi’s attention to them. In awe with everything surrounding her, the caramel-eyed girl leaned her head on top of Kuroo’s chest, hearing his heartbeat echoing along with the fireworks. “I like you.” Lifting her head from his chest, Yukimi met Kuroo’s eyes with determination and softness. “I like you so much. So please stop hurting, I’m here to return your feelings every second,” she placed both of her hands on his warm cheeks, “and to remind you that you’re the best person to be with — I’m just so happy that it’s you.”

Kuroo’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’m so happy that it’s you, too.”

 _So happy that it’s you I fell in love with_.

*

“So this is where you two end up in.”

“It’s a good thing we found you, Kuro, Yukimi-san.”

“There’s a second batch of fireworks coming!”

“Don’t shout, Yamamoto!”

“ _Kirei_ -senpai, you look so beautiful tonight!”

“Thank you, Lev.”

“Oi, I know my girlfriend is beautiful but you don’t have to flirt with her in front of my face.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ,,, I'm alive.
> 
> Note that this is unedited :")))


	43. GREETINGS OF EXHILARATION.

“Good morning to my beautiful girlfriend! You’re looking good in the manager outfit. Come give me my ‘good morning’ kiss.”

“Good morning, Tetsurou.” Yukimi turned her head a little and let Kuroo kiss her cheek, the boy not forgetting to wrap his arms around her and swaying her to an imaginary beat that made giggles erupt from the dark-haired girl. “Seems like someone is eager to face the semifinals.”

Kuroo’s face turned pensive as he stared at his girlfriend, a grin slowly creeping on his lips. “Well, we’re finally a step away from the nationals.” He affectionately squeezed Yukimi in his arms and gushed out compliments, some of them along with the words of looking fresh at such an early hour. (Note, it’s nearing eight-thirty in the morning and the opening ceremony of the semifinals starts at nine so it’s not that early but Yukimi let him be.)

“Two steps,” Kenma interjected from beside the two, his gaze fixated on his gaming console as they waited for the others to board the bus. “Two steps because we still have to face the other winning team. That is if we win against the team we’re in a match with during the semifinals.”

“Hey, what did we say about being pessimistic, Kenma!” Taketora materialized from the front of the bus, hands clutching the cooler before muttering under his breath, “How does _kirei_ -senpai carry this like it’s nothing?”

In actuality, Kenma wasn’t pessimistic.

The first match welcoming Nekoma in the Tokyo qualifiers was akin to a life-or-death situation. It was a long time since their team played an official game along with this school, a game that’s more than one set and a game without running up the hills as a punishment. The punishment, in this case, would be going back to the losing bracket, wherein they would play against the other losing team to earn that spot for the nationals. That particular school that seemed to ensconce the Nekoma volleyball club in coils of cold nervousness was the home of the golden owls — Fukurodani. The moment they were presented with the list of matches the other day, Kuroo had to stare at the piece of paper again to ensure that his vision wasn’t playing with him. It made the captain vibrate in excitement, that he can admit, but he had to swallow down the gulp of nerves itching in his throat.

“Realistic is the correct term if we’re being honest,” Kai laughed, putting on his jacket. “We couldn’t even deny we’re all nervous for this day.”

“How about this?” Yaku announced. “When we win a spot for the nationals, the captain will be treating the whole team, including the coaches and Yuki-chan, to dinner!” He took note of the absence of their temporary vice-manager, Hikari, since she never told her parents of her position in the club, and going to the Tokyo Representatives Playoffs will only fuel the fire, which will expose her to her family.

“Yes!”

Shibayama placed a hand on top of his chest, releasing a sigh of relief. “Good thing I won’t be wasting my money today. I’m planning on saving for the holiday season.”

The golden-eyed captain, who was listening to Naoi’s suggestions of last-minute plays, looked up from the notebook the older man was showing him and gaped at his friend. The smug grin the libero boasted and the light atmosphere he created captured his attention. Letting out a sigh of defeat, Kuroo decided to not ruin his team’s revived enthusiasm for today’s tournament. He turned back to the assistant coach, who was laughing silently at the predicament now on the captain’s shoulders and started listing his suggestions to some of the plays. After exchanging ideas with Naoi, the black-haired boy felt a hand brushing his back.

“I’ll help with the expenses later if their dinner costs too much,” Yukimi told him, a smile radiating kindness that blinded Kuroo for a moment (the boy unconsciously placed a gentle palm on top of his beating heart, cheeks red from admiring his girlfriend). Noticing the expression on Kuroo’s face, the caramel-eyed girl eyed him warily. “Are you alright, Tetsurou? Did the jitters gave you constipation?”

Kuroo lowly laughed while shaking his head. He dipped his head to kiss the dark-haired girl on her temple, arms affectionately wrapped in a side-hug. “Nah, I was just admiring you.”

A beautiful shade of cerise then bloomed on Yukimi’s cheeks. Nearly a year of fully knowing Kuroo and his teasing tendencies and the boy’s compliments would always make her shy. Adding the fact that she now became his girlfriend during the school festival, it didn’t help in quelling the torpedo of butterflies accumulating in her ribcage whenever he doted on her. Looking away from her boyfriend, Yukimi stretched her arm and firmly pushed Kuroo’s face away from her with both of her hands on his mouth. She heard the boy’s muffled question of ‘are you alright’ behind her hands, making her peek from her bangs. It was a good thing she didn’t pin them away. The next second was full of chaos because Kuroo managed to duck his head towards the crook of her neck, tickling her with his kisses and loud cackles.

“You’re so cute, Hana!”

“Stop it, Tetsurou!” She laughed loudly from the tickling. “I-I’m running out of breath! No biting, please.”

“Ah, young love,” Fukunaga muttered from across the couple. “Such a fresh sight.”

Kenma and Taketora slowly turned their heads to their fellow second-year, both faces donning expressions of disbelief. The former chose to say something, his tone showed how incredulous Fukunaga’s statement was, “You’re younger than them.”

“I felt like watching a drama happen ever since _kirei-_ senpai joined the club, to be honest.”

Silence rang between the three second-years before Taketora commented, “You’re not wrong about that.” Then, the ace groaned with his hands on either side of his hips. “Man, I remember the time I actually had a crush on _kirei-_ senpai.” Curious eyes planted on Taketora, urging him to continue with their expectant stares. “I think it was around the school assembly last year for the start of classes.”

“Yeah, the choir did an intermission number of the school’s alma mater song,” Kenma noted, also remembering how for the whole performance, the then black-haired boy was wide-eyed at their manager singing one of the verses. There’s no lie when people whisper that the most beautiful girl on the campus turned out to be a member of the well-off choir (well-off meaning the club was recognized even outside of their side of Tokyo), the setter thought. Then, Kenma side-eyed Taketora with narrowed eyes. “I can also remember an idiot drooling during the intermission number in the row behind me.”

“Hey, you can’t blame me! _Kirei-senpai_ ’s a goddess!”

“Me, too, I remember that time and instantly thought that _kirei-_ senpai fell down from the vending machine,” Fukunaga inserted with a small grin.

Taketora blinked owlishly. “Don’t you mean ‘fell down from heaven’? How does a goddess even descend from a vending machine?”

Kenma’s eyes became wide in an instant. “Don’t say what I think you’re implying right n—“

“That’s because she’s a snack.”

“And he just said it,” Kenma dryly stated, throwing his hands up in the air in faux exasperation.

Taketora let out a full-blown laugh, his body hunched and his hands placed on his knees as his cackles echoed through the parking lot. “Man, I can’t believe you said that!”

Suddenly, Kuroo shouted as if he noticed the second-years talking about Yukimi. “Oi, Yamamoto, why do you sound like a dying whale over there?”

“Oh, God, the boyfriend just heard us!”

*

A goddess was standing in the middle of Sumida Gymnasium’s hallways, eyes following her every move as she maneuvered without her accomplices, it was even a miracle she was not in the company of people she calls her friends. The faint scent of her perfume caught the attention of some of the girls buying some snacks from the vending machine, gawking that the pretty girl who passed by them looked heaven-sent with such simple clothes. The girl was trying to get past the crowded hallway when she bumped into a tall figure, muttering an apology as she ducked and never got a good look at the person she bumped into. A pair of emerald eyes followed the girl, entranced at the way her braided hair bounced at every step or the way she carried herself with enough confidence that left people gawking.

There was a goddess in Sumida Gymnasium and Haiba Alisa swore she just saw the prettiest girl ensnaring everyone with her watermelon scent.

She couldn’t wait to tell her little brother about this, a giddy smile painting on her lips. Speak of the devil and there he was waving at her enthusiastically with a bright smile mirroring hers. Beside him were probably members of his volleyball team. Alisa noticed that the three boys wore the same jacket as the girl she’s infatuated with. Putting that matter at the back of her mind, she still made her way to her brother with a skip on her step, not noticing how the shorter boys stared at Lev in disbelief. Opening her arms in a warm welcome, she shouted Lev’s nickname lovingly.

“Lyovochka!”

“Nee-san!” Lev greeted back. “You’re here!”

“Of course, I’d never miss your volleyball matches this time,” Alisa told him. “It’s a good thing there wasn’t anything assigned from my university. Plus, I don’t have any gigs scheduled which is a miracle!”

“That’s great!” Then, the silver-haired first-year remembered he was walking with his fellow teammates and quickly turned to them. “Nee-san, these are the liberos of our team. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen Shibayama Yuki, he’s pretty much a regular visitor of our home.” The said boy waved shyly at the older girl with red cheeks. “Here’s Yaku-san, the one I told you about who was responsible for the spot I have on the team.” Lev noticed how quiet Yaku became so he curiously glanced at his senior, only to see him with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yaku-san?”

It took Yaku seconds before answering, “I’m sorry if this will sound offending but how is Lev related to a beauty like _her_?” He exasperatedly gestured at Alisa, who was laughing at the situation and looked back and forth at the siblings in their small group. Then, his cheeks went red like Shibayama’s when he saw that Alisa was still laughing under her breath. “Uhm, it’s nice to see one of our members’ siblings watch the matches. It will surely pump up the team when they see another pretty person like you watching our games!”

“I’m honored,” Alisa told them with a smile.

Shibayama cleared his throat, still meek at the presence of his friend’s older sister. “It’s quite a change to see not just _kirei-_ senpai give us inspiration.”

“Oh, yeah!” Lev lightly hit the palm of his hand with a closed fist, realization clear on his face. “Nee-san, you’ll absolutely love our manager, _kirei-_ senpai—“

“How is your sister going to know who that is, idiot?”

“Ah, sorry, Yaku-san, I meant Kazahana-senpai. I’m sure I’ve talked about her before during dinner.”

Alisa brightened when Lev mentioned that. “Speaking of pretty people,” she squealed, face red at the giddiness growing inside her stomach, “I just saw the most beautiful girl earlier in the hallways!” The blonde girl placed a hand on her cheek, a dreamy look replacing her eager expression. “People were staring at her and she literally didn’t pay any attention to it. I love how cool she looks while passing by.” Alisa buried her face in her hands, shaking her head from side to side at the memory of the girl with dark hair that made her heart beat faster than it ever did before. Her mood dropped when she murmured, “But it would be so good if our eyes met earlier. She just apologized and went her way. I wanted to get to know her!”

“Wait, Haiba-san,” Shibayama interjected Alisa’s struggle. “Does this girl have a red jacket like ours?” Alisa nodded at the question, making the first-year libero utter a silent, “Oh,” upon realization dawning at him.

“With hair braided effortlessly and with a height around here?” Yaku asked with bright eyes as he leveled his hand along his temple, elated that the girl Alisa was talking about could be their precious manager. Once he saw Alisa nodding enthusiastically sharing the same glint in his eyes, Yaku nearly shouted in joy at another person (a girl at that, too!) falling in love with their club’s manager. Watching people swoon over the volleyball club’s goddess never gets old for Yaku, given that he is one of those people constantly showering her in compliments (boosting her confidence and encouraging her is always a must, as he always told Kuroo). He couldn’t wait to see the look on Kuroo’s face once the captain knew of Alisa being one of Yukimi’s fans. “Not to mention a watermelon scent following her around?”

“Yes!” Alisa was overjoyed. This means that her little brother knew the mystery girl all along. “What’s her name?”

“She’s our beloved Kazahana Yukimi-chan.”

Shibayama swore that he saw Yaku’s nose grow an inch at that remark.

“Wah, her name sounds so pretty! Lyovochka, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

“Because I knew you would get like this.”

Yaku laughed boisterously, patting his junior at the back gently (read: aggressively). “Lev, your sister has taste! I like it!”

At the area where the bags of the Nekoma volleyball club were situated, the said dark-haired girl sneezed while checking the water bottles and ice packs inside the cooler. Kuroo, who heard the sound, made his way to where his girlfriend was standing and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, placing his chin on top of her shoulder with her back pressed against his chest. Humming slightly under his breath, the golden-eyed boy glanced at the girl. “Are you feeling cold?” His eyes then went to the air conditioner placed right across their resting area. “Why did we even pick this spot in the first place?”

“I’m fine, Tetsurou,” Yukimi answered, leaning against Kuroo’s chest with a reassuring smile. “And we picked this because the others wanted a cool place to eat lunch at later. But really it wasn’t because of the cold that I was sneezing.”

“Hmm?”

“Call it an intuition.”

“Intuition?” Kuroo asked, giving Yukimi his full attention.

“I think Kiyoko-san knew this feeling.”

Kuroo blinked a couple of times to register what the dark-haired girl implied. “Whose face do I have to spike a volleyball at?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know. And, love, please don’t go around throwing volleyballs at random people. We don’t want to deal with that and the coaches will nag your ear off.”

“Did you just call me ‘love’?” When Kuroo didn’t hear any reply coming from Yukimi, his smile turned into a grin when he saw how the girl faced him, burying her burning face in his chest. His heart was pounding loudly and he hoped the girl in his arms heard the effect she had on him. The black-haired boy felt Yukimi bury her face more on his jacket, making him laugh while tightening his hold on her before planting kisses on the girl’s hair. “You are so adorable, Hana! Let’s stay like this for a while, alright?”

Yukimi nodded, holding Kuroo close to her for a whole minute, his heartbeat soothing her to permanent bliss.

*

“All right!”

“Chance ball!”

“Fall back a little bit!”

A hand hastily scribbling on a thin Campus notebook and caramel eyes followed the trajectories of the ball as the girls’ volleyball teams started the semi-finals with matches that were responsible for the gathering crowds at the sidelines. The last time Yukimi watched a volleyball game without fulfilling her manager duties was probably in middle school, something she terribly missed as she once again surveyed the court where the Nekoma girls’ team was trying to catch up to their opponents. The reason why the dark-haired girl excused herself from the team to watch the girls’ team was that (one), her newly found friend was one of the wing spikers, and (two) she had to ease her nervousness for her club by observing some plays that could help the both of Nekoma’s teams in the future.

Now the girls’ match was finally coming to an end, Yukimi figured that she shouldn’t stay too long so that she could check up on the first-aid supplies once again. The dark-haired girl caught the eye of her friend, Fumi, who was heading to the bench after their libero subbed in, and waved. The opposite hitter brightened at the sight of Yukimi and reciprocated the greeting with a weak wave. Yukimi took a glance at the scoreboard of the match. Nekoma’s girls’ team was behind by three points and the opponent team was already claiming the match point. Seeing as there is still a chance, the caramel-eyed girl faced Fumi again and mouthed a ‘you’re doing amazing’, with a warm smile on her lips. Her friend then started to laugh with misty eyes before flashing a grin in her direction.

Turning around to find the boys’ team, Yukimi practically jogged towards the entrance of the stadium. Sure enough, she spotted Shibayama also making his way to the sliding doors.

“Shibayama-kun,” Yukimi called out, excusing herself until she finally faced the first-year libero.

Shibayama’s face instantly dyed red when their manager flashed him a smile. “ _Kirei-senpai_ , did you watch the girls’ team play as well?”

“Yeah.” Yukimi turned her head to check on the scoreboard once again. Disheartened at the two-point lead score, the dark-haired girl gestured for Shibayama to follow her. “They were doing so well. Knowing that this is the semi-finals, the competition is bound to improve, too. I wanted to give them this,” Yukimi patted the notebook tucked in her arm, “as some sort of gift to help them in their journey.”

“So that’s why you have a notebook with you even though it wasn’t our match,” Shibayama was in awe. Meeting the older girl’s eyes, he told her with confidence that he didn’t have the previous months when it comes to the manager, “You’re really amazing, _kirei-_ senpai.”

Yukimi laughed, ruffling Shibayama’s hair affectionately. “I’m just helping a friend.”

The two were then met with Kuroo and the rest of the team, some of them talking casually amongst themselves to pass the time. The girls’ match was taking more than an hour (the entire game now running at three sets before a school was announced as the victor) and the boys’ nervousness dissipated like smoke because of the long wait. Now that their match will be starting in thirty minutes, some of them tried composing themselves by stretching (mainly Taketora since he nearly hogged the bathroom and Yukimi had to give him some soothing oil to calm down). The first-year libero took a deep breath and called out, “Kuroo-san! The girls’ match will be done soon.”

The black-haired captain turned around with half-lidded eyes. His frown made way into a half-smile as he placed both of his hands on his hips, chest puffed up from taking a deep breath to expel his nerves. Behind Kuroo, Kenma looked up at the newly-arrived pair, silent at the remark of his fellow teammate. Even Taketora straightened from his leg stretches, mirroring his members as the tension gradually disappeared and was replaced by a crackling excitement that Yukimi witnessed whenever they had a practice match with a high-caliber team.

It made her smile in pride.

Kuroo eventually met her eyes, giving her a wink before facing his team. “Now, then,” he paused to add the much-needed effect, “the semi-finals.” His golden eyes swept from one teammate to another, the smirk on his face growing each second. “If we win this round and advance to the finals, we’ll be going to the nationals.” Chuckling ominously, he added, “Let’s do what we usually do.”

“Your usual … high-level defense and teamwork.” A voice resounding from the end of the hallway managed to catch the attention of the Nekoma volleyball club, three people wearing the green and white Nohebi jacket greeting them with an air of mockery. Daishou Suguru stood in the middle of his teammates, mind set on riling up their rival school with a good number of jabs here and there. “But what you kitty-cats lack is decisiveness.”

“Oh, no,” Yukimi murmured. A sudden pull on her jacket broke her gaze from the brewing fight in front of them, the two-toned setter pulling her slightly closer to the rest of the team. The dark-haired girl turned to look at Kenma, who placed her behind him with an expression that looked wary and indifferent at the same time. A small laugh came from Yukimi, making Kenma glance at her from the corners of his eyes. At the questioning gaze, she answered, “Nothing,” before nodding at the three people engaged in a glaring match, “but we have to keep an eye on those two for a while.”

Kenma nodded at the exact moment Taketora shouted, “What was that?!”

Kuroo, who crossed his arms across his chest, tilted his head upwards with narrowed eyes. “Don’t, Yamamoto. Don’t let that snake bastard get to you.”

Then, chaos ensued when Daishou pointed at Kuroo’s messy hair, brushing off Taketora’s sneering at his side. “You always have that poor excuse of a hairstyle.” His smile grew, even more, when he saw Kuroo’s left eye twitch in irritation. _Now, for the finishing blow,_ he thought. “Are you sure you’re not lying about your height? Are you actually 180 cm tall?” Daishou’s smile turned into a smug grin when Kuroo snapped from his composed posture. His remark definitely worked, was what he thought as he caught the eyes of Nekoma’s manager, who slightly narrowed her eyes at the eye contact.

“What was that?!” Kuroo yelled, facial expression now very much like Taketora, who was still sneering behind the black-haired captain. Calm and collected, be damned, this snake bastard had to be stuffed in a match if that’s what it takes to shut him up. Kuroo had a flurry of responses in his brain but all he could say was, “I’d never do something so petty!” He rose his hand to squish his gravity-defying hair to his head, emphasizing his next words, “I always make sure to squish that thing into my head when measuring my height. Ask Hana for the clarification!”

(At the back, Yukimi placed her hand on her face with Yaku patting her back in comfort and Kai telling her this little squabble will probably stop in a few minutes).

(Daishou, however, squawked a, “Who is that?!”)

Then, Kuroo remembered something that a little birdie told him. “By the way, did you get over Mika-chan dumping you?” He cackled before continuing. “You sure you’re going to be able to play this match? You must be pretty hurt.”

“Like he’s one to talk,” Yaku remarked, making Kenma scoff a laugh. The libero turned to Yukimi with a blank look. “I’m glad you two got back together, Yuki-chan. Maybe if you didn’t, he would be the one wallowing too much to let it affect his performance.”

“Wait, what?!” Daishou screamed, flustered that his face turned into a noticeable shade of red. “I wasn’t dumped! In fact, I’m the one who dumped her! How do you know about that anyway?!

The sounds of disbelief coming from behind Daishou halted what could’ve been another round of argument between the two captains. Daishou turned around and was met with Lev, who came back from meeting up with his sister (he told the others to go on without him because he felt something stirring in his stomach after drinking cold milk from the vending machines). The tall silver-haired boy looked menacing as he sized up the captain of one of their rival schools. The other Nekoma members had mixed emotions regarding the arrival of their first-year middle blocker since the atmosphere became tense the moment Lev opened his mouth to say,

“Our ‘usual’ isn’t what it used to be, though.”

“Lev!” Yaku called out in annoyance. “Your dumps are seriously too long!”

The emerald-eyed boy jumped back in surprise. “How do you know how long my poop was, Yaku-san?!”

Yaku practically groaned, his patience running thin from conversing with the first-year. “I’m talking about the time it took for you to take a shit. Not the length of it, idiot!”

“Well, then,” Nohebi’s captain murmured.

Kuroo grinned and they pointed at each other in a silent challenge. “See you in the finals!”

At the call of Naoi, the Nekoma volleyball club made their presence known inside the gymnasium, their red jackets bright under the overhead lights of the huge building. Yukimi looked up at the ceiling, the first-aid kit slung over her shoulder. _If the team makes it to the finals, they’ll be able to secure a spot in the nationals,_ her mind told her. A grip on her free hand jolted her from her trance, a pair of golden eyes reassuring the caramel-eyed girl. Kuroo’s half-lidded gaze turned soft as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, pulling his girlfriend to their side of the court. Yukimi, who settled the first-aid kit beside the coolers, noticed how the black-haired boy’s face reverted to a blank expression while staring into the court.

“Tetsurou,” she called out. “Give me your other hand.”

The golden-eyed boy looked confused but listened to the girl, placing his other hand on Yukimi’s palms. The girl then cupped her hands over Kuroo’s, lifted them to so that they aligned to her lips. Rubbing her thumbs over them just like what her boyfriend did a few minutes ago to warm them up, Yukimi gently placed a kiss on each of Kuroo’s hands. She looked up and was met with Kuroo’s stunned face, his ears red at the small action. “Your hands were cold.” Continuing transferring some heat to his shaking fingers, the caramel-eyed girl wistfully smiled. “I know you’ll do great in today’s matches. I believe in you, Tetsurou, and I believe in the team as well. Remember that I’m always cheering for you by the bench. So chin up, love, and do what you do best.”

“I love you,” Kuroo whispered, dipping his head to give Yukimi a lingering kiss on the cheek. Then, he also brushed his lips over the tip of her nose. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” she replied before nodding towards the direction of the rest of the Nekoma team. “The team’s waiting for you.”

As Kuroo gave a last smile at his girlfriend, he turned around and met Kenma’s gaze, the latter asking, “Kuro, are you nervous?”

“Huh?” The captain now appeared calm as he registered what his childhood friend asked him. He then laughed shakily with sweat running down his temple. “Of course I am. Look who we’re up against.” At the sound of their opponents’ cheering squad, Kuroo jumped a little before facing the front, his golden eyes meeting a pair that held a familiar shade from across the court. He nearly laughed when the opposing captain threw his jacket behind him, a trustworthy member catching it at the last minute. Kuroo murmured lowly under his breath, “Damn, he really knows how to make an entrance, huh? I got to give it to Bokuto for livening up the crowd like that.”

The whistle echoed through the gymnasium. It was finally time for the battle between land and sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm alive and once again, i wrote at the end of the semestral break.
> 
> hope you enjoyed this chapter! thank you for reading!
> 
> note that this is once again unedited :>>>


	44. THE CATS AGAINST THE WORLD.

“Are you nervous, Yukimi?”

The said girl turned to the older coach, arms crossed over his chest and an easygoing smile plastered on his face. There was never a time where Nekomata expressed anything other than finding his team’s matches interesting, unlike Naoi, who was now slightly shaking at the nervousness of the game. The cheers drowned everything and Yukimi had to discern what the older man asked her. When Nekomata repeated the question to her with a patient smile, Yukimi tried to increase the volume of her voice so that the coach can hear her reply. “I am,” she lightly laughed. “I believe in the team,” Yukimi nervously scratched her cheek, “but I can’t deny that Fukurodani is also an amazing and high caliber one.”

“You’re right,” Nekomata hummed. “Most of the practice games we had with that school always ended in their favor.” Then, he grinned as his shoulders shook in a chuckle. “But the boys aren’t that nervous now.” True enough, the members of the Nekoma team gradually expelled the nerves bundled inside their bodies, eyes warily set on their opponents on the other side of the net. A sudden commotion coming from the team caught their attention, with Inuoka preventing Taketora from beating Kenma in a pulp. (Naoi sighed in resignation.) “It seems like the atmosphere’s really livened up!”

“Let’s have a good match!”

As the team gathered in front of the bench for their pre-game huddle, Nekomata once again looked at Yukimi, who was staring straight with her hands clenched on her lap. “Yukimi.” The said girl waited for the old coach by expectantly glancing at him. “What do you think is the main problem in the match at the moment?”

The caramel-eyed girl blinked, mildly surprised that Nekomata once again entered his questioning mode. It was like being in a classroom and the teacher called you for a recitation the least you expected it. Humming under her breath, Yukimi tried recalling the things she wrote down in the report three days before the semi-finals. The third-year manager even asked for Hikari to help with the task since she was compiling any information regarding the three teams present in the Tokyo Representative Match Playoffs (mainly focusing on the team that their school hadn’t played against — Itachiyama), which will be a lot of work from one person. Even though the members of Nekoma knew Fukurodani and their weaknesses, she still decided to add the main points that she remembered during the training camp. And that would be some of Bokuto’s weaknesses that Akaashi would mutter when he doesn’t know Yukimi was nearby.

Yukimi still felt bad for doing that.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a problem but Bokuto seems to be in a good mood right now.” Her gaze found the said boy’s figure and it stirred something inside her stomach. A bird of prey, that’s what he is, and Yukimi once again clenched her fists. “From what Tetsurou always told me, there’s nothing good coming from Bokuto if he feels invigorated in a match, at least for the team playing against Fukurodani. It’s going to be like trying to diffuse a cannon.”

“You’re right,” Nekomata smiled. “I say that being our improved ‘usual’ should be enough to stop those cannon’s attacks.”

Yukimi nodded. “Yeah. They’re going to be alright.”

“Apparently, Karasuno knocked down that Ushiwaka and managed to enter the nationals.” Kuroo’s voice snapped Yukimi from her self-convincing. The messy-haired boy was facing his teammates with half-lidded eyes that might give off the impression that he needed this over with (he really needed this to be over, he wanted to sleep or hang out with his girlfriend) but his tone carried the confidence that made the others smile. “We can’t lose either.”

Those words lifted the rest of the team’s spirits. “That’s right!”

Kuroo glanced at Yukimi, their conversation about Bokuto and his energy around the court ringing in his mind. Understanding the meaning of his girlfriend’s gaze, he once again faced his team, his gentle expression becoming serious the moment he uttered the next words, “As it is, the main thing is to keep an eye on Bokuto. We can’t let him have his groove.”

“Got it!”

Nekomata laughed under his breath. “No matter how many balls come our way, we’re going to save them all.”

Every member looked at each other, already knowing what was coming next after that little advice from both their captain and head coach. Even Kenma didn’t voice out or express his distaste on their usual mantra. All of them clenched their fist and placed them in the middle of their huddle as usual. It was like Lev said, their usual plays weren’t the same as their previous ones. Every single one of them felt a tremor of excitement running their spines as Kuroo uttered the first phrase.

“We are like the blood in our veins.” _This is their last chance. They have to pour everything they’ve got._ “Never stop flowing.” _The third-years will be graduating. The tides should be in their favor._ “Keep moving.” _Their goal awaits them, all of them flocked with black wings and an orange battlefield filling the background._ “Keep bringing in the oxygen.” _May the goddess of victory bless them with a single fingertip._ “So that our ‘brain’ can operate at his best.”

*

The match started with Sarukui’s serve, the sound of skin smacking on rubber echoing in their side of the gymnasium, some people from the audience even wincing at the smack. However strong that serve was, the three people sitting on Nekoma’s bench smiled. Yukimi muttered, her hands still on top of her closed notebook for once in a match, “Perfect.”

The ball’s trajectory made it land perfectly on Yaku’s forearms. It was a perfect receive, indeed, as it sailed in an arc towards Kenma. The setter never moved from his position, which is always in front of the net at the start of every game, his golden cat-like eyes following the ball closely like a housecat eyeing its dangling toy. Kenma rose his hands at the exact time of his jump, the only person in his mind resonating their thoughts together as a dark-haired boy made a quick attack from his set, the opponent not having enough time to block the ball. The crowd behind the red ‘connect’ banner cheered.

“Go, go, Tetsurou! Push it, push it, Tetsurou!”

The caramel-eyed manager inhaled a sharp breath at Nekoma’s first point. Yukimi clenched her fist in a small celebration, her eyes crinkling at the corners because of her smile. At the court, Kenma laid his palm out without looking at his childhood friend, with the latter grinning widely and giving a strong high-five on the two-toned boy’s hand. The captain’s eyes gravitated to their bench, his gaze meeting that of his girlfriend. Yukimi lightly raised her eyebrows in surprise, not expecting Kuroo to look in their direction in such a tight match. Her large smile was enough for Kuroo, face swarming with warmth and pride solely for him at the moment. Call him a big-headed idiot but with him behind the reason of his girlfriend’s smile (and scoring the first point!) made him happy. His smile turned into a half-smile, his half-lidded eyes turned hungry at the thought of having a chance against one of the candidates for nationals.

It was Yamamoto’s serve that started the next rally.

Yukimi slightly leaned forward as the ball was received by Konoha, traveling perfectly to where Akaashi was settled in the court. Just like how Kenma never moved an inch since the first minutes, Fukurodani’s setter also only stared at how the ball sailed towards him. The dark-haired manager narrowed her eyes when Fukurodani’s number twelve, Onaga, acted as a decoy. Bokuto lifted his arms behind his back, crouching down for a high jump, and there Yukimi knew Nekoma’s starting streak will be cut off. With the usual hunger for volleyball in the ace’s eyes, he hit the ball with all his reserved strength, touching Kai’s fingertips and ricocheting the trajectory to the bleachers.

It was a good thing Akane, Taketora’s younger sister and captain of the cheering squad, caught the ball even with a stiff posture since it could’ve hit one of the people at the back. Yukimi recalled the times she was nearly hit by one of Bokuto’s stray spikes in the training camp, dread swirling in the pits of her stomach at the memories. The moment she looked up at the bleachers, Yukimi met Alisa’s glancing green irises. The older blonde girl froze at the eye contact, her cheeks blossoming a crippling warmth and her heart beating in a flurry inside her chest. The entire gymnasium remained silent for a few seconds before a shout caught the manager’s attention, making her look away from Alisa.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

“Nice, nice, Bokuto! Nice, nice, Bokuto! One more point!”

Astounded was the right word as Yukimi stared at the gray-haired player. “Amazing. He wasn’t awarded as one of the top five aces in the country for nothing.”

“Bokuto really knows how to capture the attention of the entire crowd,” Naoi noted from the other side of Nekomata.

The older coach laughed. “This is becoming interesting!”

“Fukunaga!” Kuroo yelled after receiving Onaga’s serve, with the said boy executing a quick attack. This was stopped by Washio and Akaashi, touching the blue-eyed setter’s fingertips. Crouching a little to prepare for a toss, Akaashi called for Bokuto in a way that made adrenaline pump in the latter’s veins, urging the gray-haired ace to give it his all. Kuroo looked at Kai and the two of them moved with synchronicity. The dark-haired captain grinned with eyes full of mirth, “We won’t let you get past us.”

“If Fukurodani has Bokuto,” Yukimi started, face forward with a serene smile pulling on the corners of her lips, “I think we have someone to counter that without him standing out too much. Worrying over Bokuto’s point earlier was all for nothing when one of the best receivers is in our team.”

“Correct,” Nekomata agreed, a proud grin on his visage.

Because of Kuroo and Kai’s timed block, Yaku took a step forward in a cat-like grace that was only observed and associated with their team. Everything was child’s play when it comes to Nekoma’s libero predicting where the ball was going to land in their part of the court and it was easy enough since he has seen Bokuto’s stance every day during training camps. Squatting with a stare scarily following the ball, Yaku received Bokuto’s spike with a calm countenance that he didn’t even notice how the audience bated their breath or how his teammates shouted his name in glee.

Yukimi let out a little laugh of disbelief. “I’m really friends with literal monsters,” she muttered low enough that only she can hear. It started with Daichi and his passion for being a volleyball club member since they were in primary school, followed by Kuroo who introduced her to a passion-filled group of people, with meeting teams that housed powerhouses along the way of her being the manager of Nekoma’s volleyball club, and lastly, her soon-to-be stepbrother who was so adept in becoming perfect that it scared her. All of them are monsters and it stunned yet terrified Yukimi, rendering her speechless as she watched her team continued the rally. Knocking herself out of her daze, she wrote something on her notebook before breathing, “Amazing,” because of Yaku.

Now, it was Kai who managed to give Nekoma the lead, the match starting to heat up in the following seconds.

Points after points were accumulated and every single of those rallies gave the crowd satisfaction. The cheers for each team blended in with the other game and by now, the entire gymnasium was also a contest for the school with the best cheering squad. With both Bokuto and Yaku grappling in a silent fight for the point, the ball was given to Kenma, who in turn called for Fukunaga to execute the quick attack. The silent second-year’s position in the court made it harder for the opponent team to receive it, making the save shaky enough as it is that Akaashi had no choice but to call for Bokuto once again. It was as Yukimi noticed — every time a receive was off, Bokuto was always there to save the day. The gray-haired captain jumped as high as he can to spike his setter’s set but there was something off.

This time, it wasn’t a cross at all. Not that Bokuto didn’t perform it well but it was definitely unusual for an opposite hitter who favors crosses like Bokuto to opt for a line shot.

“A straight?” Yukimi muttered, slowly standing up from her seat when Nekomata gestured for Naoi to have their first time-out. The dark-haired manager took out the energy drinks stored inside the cooler before making her way to the pile of towels on top of the first-aid kit. The rest of the team was starting to gather in front of the coaches. Yukimi passed the bottles of energy drinks and towels to the boys, telling each of them either, “You did an amazing job there,” or, “You’re doing great.” It looked like they appreciated her words, thanking her vibrantly before she smiled and turned back to the coaches. However, a hand gently tugging on her jacket stopped her, Kuroo’s smile greeting Yukimi when she glanced back.

Kenma took the liberty of informing everyone what he perceived from the set so far. Behind him, Nekomata smiled and let his team’s brain do his work. “Bokuto-san’s playing well today and is in his top form.”

Taketora looked blankly at Kenma. “We could tell.”

The setter ignored his teammate’s sarcastic comment and continued. “Yaku-kun’s doing well, too.”

The third-year libero was in the middle of drinking his energy drink when Kenma mentioned his name. It was true that he was in top form today, the earlier nervousness vanishing the moment he stepped foot on the court. With a huge grin plastered on his face, Yaku replied, “That’s right! It looks like I can see clearly today.”

The two-toned boy slightly tilted his head down as he contemplated on something. “Bokuto-san’s line shots are in extraordinarily good shape, and he’s keenly aware that Yaku-kun is waiting for his cross shots.”

Kuroo wrapped his free hand around Yukimi’s waist while the girl wrote something down in her notebook. Squeezing her hip affectionately, the black-haired middle blocker spoke up, “When Bokuto’s not in a good mood, his straight spikes are an utter mess.” Kuroo tilted his head back to get a good gulp of his energy drink before glancing at the number of points made by each member of their team and Fukurodani’s scribbled on Yukimi’s notebook. Humming in appreciation, Kuroo placed a swift, gentle kiss on top of Yukimi’s hair, the lavender-infused scent of her shampoo calming his sense in an instant. “You’re doing amazing, too, Hana,” he murmured against her hair. The girl’s chuckles and a soft nudge on his side were the only replies, Yukimi gesturing for him to pay attention to the huddle.

“We’ve been forming blocks for those cross shots Bokuto is known for,” Kai voiced out, pushing down on the lid of his bottle of energy drink, “but should we change them to match up with his line shots?”

“Yeah, but,” Kenma trailed off, gaze on the floor in contrast with his team members who were ready to absorb whatever advice he could conjure up. Raising his head, he calmly told them, “Let’s wait until Bokuto-san gets a bit more comfortable with his line shots first.” He paused for a bit before adding the next words that sent chills to some of the people listening in. “Let’s take advantage of Bokuto-san’s good state.”

Yukimi wore a proud smile, her chest swelling with warmth for the people in their club. All of them improved so well in the past months and as much as she would like to thank Karasuno for being the ones fuelling their drive to catch up, she couldn’t deny that this was all because of the members of Nekoma’s volleyball club. Who knew that they’re literally one step away from claiming their current goal? The dark-haired girl shifted her attention to her boyfriend, who still wrapped his arm around her waist, and lightly laugh in amusement at the large Cheshire Cat half-smile painted on Kuroo’s face. When the whistle announced for the game to resume, Yukimi took a deep breath and pulled on the black-haired boy’s jersey, making him lean down in surprise.

Gentle hands finding refuge on either side of Kuroo’s jaw and a brush of lips tickled his parted ones.

“Do your best, Tetsurou.”

She was seraphic.

Kuroo was breathless for a moment before tilting his head down to brush his nose against hers. A warm smile replaced the dangerous half-smile he had earlier as he cupped his girlfriend’s face. “You better focus on me, Hana.”

“When am I not?”

Yukimi pulled away with a beautiful smile and turned her head to give each member encouraging words that sent blushes on their faces. Meanwhile, giddiness ran through Kuroo as he gestured for his team to position themselves on the court. Unbeknownst to him, Taketora was sneering and muttering how lucky of a bastard their captain was, being the subject of affection of such an angel. The first-years still flushed when they witnessed their ringleader showing a soft expression, which can only be seen if Yukimi or Kenma were around, no matter how many times they saw it on their captain’s face.

However, Yaku sidled up beside Kuroo and patted him on the back with a teasing smile. “Must be nice to have a girlfriend, huh?” the libero remarked.

Kuroo hummed, glancing at the light-brown-haired boy beside him. “Yeah, must suck to not experience it, huh?”

“This cocky bastard!”

Kai immediately went in between them, his ever-kind smile appearing on his face to diffuse the tension right when the referee looked ready to kill if someone screams unnecessary things during a match. Placing both of his palms on either boy’s shoulder, he reminded, “Now, now. Let’s finish this discussion after the match.”

After a lucky out-of-bounds serve from Fukurodani, Kai made his way to the end of the court for his serve. Konoha received it, slightly kneeling and cursing that it was the usual ‘too-short,’ troublesome serve coming from the opponent team. He passed it to Akaashi and before anyone could discern it, Kuroo adjusted the timing of his jump to match with Washio, who the setter set the ball to. Feeling the burn of the ball’s surface on his fingers, the black-haired middle blocker looked over his shoulder to shout, “One touch!” Taketora ran backward and saved the ball, passing it to Kenma, who in turn waited for Fukunaga to get the clue that he will be the one spiking the ball. _Just one point_ was what everybody thought. One point to shift the tides over to them. Again, Bokuto prepared to give it his all as their libero called for him.

Instead of Kenma being the one in front of Bokuto’s spike, apparently, Kuroo managed to pull the setter, switching their positions so that he would be the one stopping the powerful spike. The golden-eyed boy’s face turned into that expression the lower years dubbed as one of the scariest things they ever saw in a match. Kuroo looked like he could kill as his hands swerved to the ball’s path, cutting it off and making it bounce against Bokuto’s head with a smack. Feeling the thrill pump in his veins, Kuroo yelled, “I need to take the spotlight every once in a while. Plus, my beautiful girlfriend is focusing on me so I better grab this opportunity.”

At the side, Yukimi clenched her fist in happiness, eyes sparkling while she cheered a quiet, “Yes!”

_16-18._

*

It was a deuce.

Yukimi’s heart was pounding in her chest as she watched each team grapple for a point that would lead them to a sure path of victory. For Fukurodani, winning the second set would mean that they’re up for the finals. For Nekoma, it meant another chance to win the last set and take the spotlight away from the opposing team. The rallies are longer in the second set, with every spike from Fukurodani being received by Nekoma’s players with utmost finesse. People were now gathering at their side of the court, curious that their game still hasn’t reached its end now that the other match finished a few minutes ago (Itachiyama, the reigning champion of the first tournament, won by a large margin). The caramel-eyed girl was clenching her notebook tightly that the pages wrinkled under her vice grip. However, the moment Bokuto jumped right when his team was at match point, Yukimi felt the hope that was sparking in her ribcage dissipate.

The winner for this match of the semi-finals proved to be Fukurodani Academy.

Dejected sighs could be heard from the bench, with Naoi slumping in defeat and Nekomata inhaling before telling everyone that Akaashi did a splendid job in keeping their ace in line. To be honest, Yukimi agreed with that thought but the more she looked at her club members panting to regain their breathing, something akin to disappointment clenching around her heart. Everyone worked so hard, pouring their every ounce of energy in every practice and wracking their brains to come up with plays that they have never done before, only for their moment to be cut off like a thin piece of string.

It was so unfair.

Their last chance in getting that one spot for spring nationals was now a do-or-die situation.

When everyone filed out of the gymnasium for lunch, Yukimi immediately received a phone call. Excusing herself from the coaches, the dark-haired girl turned to one of the empty hallways to answer her ringing phone, a certain boy of jet-black hair following her retreating figure with tired, half-lidded eyes.

“Kimi-chan!” The familiar playful voice took away any trace of dejection accumulating in her small body. “I heard from Natsumi-san that Tokyo is having their qualifiers right now. So how was it?”

“Tooru.” Yukimi’s voice couldn’t help but crack.

There was a series of rustles from the other line of the phone call, probably Oikawa sitting up too fast from his comfortable bed in surprise. At the sound of his stepsister’s nearly-crying tone, the brown-haired boy wanted nothing but to gain teleportation abilities to give Yukimi a much-awaited and tight hug. The short amount of time he spent with the dark-haired girl was enough for Oikawa to tell that Yukimi deserves all the affection and love in the world, whatever form it may be but today, Oikawa really wanted to shower her with physical contact. The only thing he could do, however, was to lend an ear to the things Yukimi would be telling him. “Hey, Kimi-chan, how are you feeling?”

Oikawa’s usually playful and teasing voice turned soft in an instant and Yukimi appreciated it. Taking a deep breath, she answered with a forced laugh, “We had to play again to get that spot in the nationals.”

The sound of her stepbrother genuinely chuckling to himself made her stare incredulously at her phone. “Oh, Kimi-chan, I’m asking about you, not your team. I think this is the time where you can think about yourself instead of your members. Set aside being a manager for a minute and talk to me, will you?”

Yukimi narrowed her eyes even though Oikawa couldn’t see her expression at the moment. “Who are you and what have you done to Tooru? Or is Iwaizumi-san sitting there with you right now? Tell me the truth, Tooru.”

“Kimi-chan!” Oikawa whined in her ear, making the caramel-eyed girl pull her phone away from her head. The brown-haired boy’s whining voice will always be the loudest thing Yukimi has ever heard and that’s saying something since she was surrounded by volleyball players that rivaled the energy of some members of Karasuno’s volleyball club. “I’m trying to be nice here, why are you always ruining the moment?!”

“That’s because it doesn’t suit you,” Yukimi riled up, earning another round of whines from his side of the call. She had to put a stop to this or he will start bombarding her phone with reasons as to why his whining fits his personality the best. Give it to Oikawa for being such an airhead sometimes (Yukimi had to refrain from thinking ‘most of the times’ since Iwaizumi only had the right to voice that out). “Geez, calm down, Tooru, I was just joking.” Yukimi then leaned back until the coldness of the wall seeped through her jacket. Placing one hand inside her pocket for some warmth, the dark-haired girl sighed. “I’m doing fine. Disappointed, but fine. Even though I wasn’t one of them playing on the court, the results still sadden me.”

“Losing a match will make you feel like shit.”

The dark-haired girl sighed. “Yeah.”

There was a cloud of despair hanging over the two people in the call as the brown-haired boy recalled how they lost to those pesky crows (he never says this out loud because Oikawa will most likely be plummeted by Yukimi the next time his family visited) while the girl now thought about how her friends were feeling. Bidding goodbye to her stepbrother, Yukimi ended the call before she even heard Oikawa telling her that he wanted to talk some more. Exhaling the bundle of sadness in her throat, the caramel-eyed girl squared her shoulders and walked to where their club placed their bags. On the way, Yukimi saw Kuroo waiting for his drink in the vending machines, hands inside the pockets of his red jacket.

Yukimi waited for Kuroo to take his drink from the compartment before calling out, “Tetsurou.”

The black-haired captain immediately turned to his girlfriend’s voice, his breath hitching when he saw the girl open her arms with an affectionate smile as if she was beckoning for him to melt in her embrace. Kuroo didn’t think twice in racing at Yukimi’s direction and let himself be ensconced in the comfort he badly needed since they lost their match with Fukurodani. After exiting the gymnasium for their break, Kuroo didn’t want to come off as someone who was overly clingy to his significant other but the longer he was separated from Yukimi, the more he gradually closed himself off. He had no time to drown in self-pity from the loss since they have another match waiting for them so the moment he wrapped his girlfriend in a hug, he instantly slumped his figure on her. He could feel one of her hands wrapping around his waist while the other one traced patterns on the back of his neck, pushing his head to the crook of her shoulder.

Kuroo was in heavenly bliss, sighing shakily while letting Yukimi hum a wonderful tune to his ear.

“You did so well and I’m proud of you,” Yukimi whispered to his ear, making him tighten his hold on her. Kuroo felt the girl pull away, her hands gently holding his face on her hands. It took everything in Kuroo not to ruin the moment and call her beautiful right there. With soft eyes, Yukimi continued, “Take this last chance and make it yours because I have a feeling we will be standing inside that orange court. I know the team will be okay because they have you and each other to rely on.” She lightly tapped her hands on his cheeks, making him smile. “If you do well in the next game, expect an extra present later.” Kuroo rose both of his eyebrows and looked down on Yukimi questioningly. The girl blinked, “Don’t tell me you forgot it’s your birthday today?”

“Oh, my God.”

“You did, didn’t you?” Yukimi asked in a monotone voice.

The black-haired boy fumbled for words, cheeks warming as his girlfriend pulled his face closer to hers. “I was too focused in today’s tournament to register the greetings my family gave me. Kenma doesn’t even greet me on my birthdays until one minute will be left on my special day! That guy doesn’t celebrate his own birthdays, how much more mine?”

Yukimi lightly laughed, planting her lips on Kuroo’s, the two of them sharing a kiss that melted the boy’s heart. Placing her forehead against his, the caramel-eyed girl ran her gaze on her boyfriend’s golden irises. “Well, happy birthday, captain.”

Kuroo buried his face on her neck, face matching their school’s signature color. “You don’t need to give me something, you’re already the best gift I could ever ask for.”

“Think of the present I’ll give later as a bonus!”

“Hana, you’re so unfair.”

The dark-haired girl kissed Kuroo gently on the cheek, standing on her tip-toes with the boy’s arms around her waist steadying her. “All for you, Tetsurou — all for you because you deserve the world.”

*

Nohebi was one troublesome team. From the notes Yukimi gathered with Hikari (the poor first-year had no choice but to agree this time since the third-year manager appeared in front of her with bags under her eyes), their captain always opted for pulling feints every once in a while during a match, surprising the opposing team. They were a good team, revolving around building a good defense just like Nekoma, however, Kuroo always mentioned that they keep the image of being goody-two-shoes in front of the referees and have a knack for riling up their opponents until they self-destruct. Yukimi didn’t need any more proof for the last part other than the situation in front of her, wherein the captain of Nohebi started throwing jabs at Taketora and Lev.

The manager nearly placed her palm on her forehead. They picked the worst people to provoke and it was making Yukimi grimace at how their tactic worked in their favor. As long as their members don’t fall for the taunts, everything will be fine, was what Yukimi thought. However, the atmosphere became tense as the manager noticed how the other team always made Taketora dig for the feints, letting him fall in their traps. Now she was frustrated. Without Nekoma’s ace executing successful spikes over the blocks, everything doesn’t sit right for her.

Yukimi nearly groaned as another comment threw Lev off after blocking one of Nohebi’s blocks. Well, as much as she supports the first-year, Yukimi agreed that Lev’s blocks needed some improvements. Her frustration turned into disbelief when the referee gave Nohebi a point after Daishou pulled a back attack that was out of bounds. Neither of her club members touched the ball. Yukimi could only bite her lip in agitation as the scores tied up, both teams hitting the eight-point mark.

For once, Nekomata never had a smile on his face throughout the match and that spoke volume.

The members of Nohebi kept apologizing to the referee for the littlest of things, from touching the net to touching the ball with their fingertips, and it baffled Yukimi that it seemed to work. Adults really like it when teenagers or kids when they’re polite and well-mannered, then not favoring those who have bizarre, colored hairstyles or a scary face that will send others crying. This match gave Yukimi a different feel if compared to the previous match with Fukurodani. There was a trace of healthy competitions bursting from the first match but in this one, all Yukimi could feel was an enormous ball of wariness as she watched Taketora stepped forward to receive Daishou’s spike.

A flinch and a hitch in her breath were the reactions of the caramel-eyed manager when the ball hit the left side of Taketora’s head. A red mark was left on the ace’s face after the ball descended on the floor. The other members of Nekoma’s starting roster gathered around him and Yukimi was itching to get the stored ice bag. That urge vanished and was replaced with disbelief at the sight of Daishou bowing deeply in front of Taketora. Yukimi could see the referee absorb the interaction like a sponge, the third-year manager narrowing her eyes at the opponent team’s captain.

Nekomata gestured for a time out, halting the game for the meantime. At that, Yukimi stood up and took out an ice bag from the cooler, immediately making her way to Taketora. While the others talked about Nohebi and their captain, the dark-haired girl stood on her toes and gently placed the ice bag on top of Taketora’s head. The second-year ace thanked her under his breath, taking the ice bag from her hand while cursing at how lame he was earlier (“Damn it, I’m going to make that Daishou regret making me look lame. Just you wait, I’ll wrangle that snake with my hands!). Yukimi sighed, lips pursing as she turned to distribute the energy drinks to the other members.

True enough, Taketora managed to score after Lev flailed his arms in an attempt to block the ball.

_14-16._

“Lev!” Yaku shouted with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Stop flailing your arms around like that! I can’t dig the damn ball!”

Frustrated at his own mistake, the silver-haired middle blocker turned around with a snarl. “But you’ll still get the ball, no matter what! Who are you joking, Yaku-san?!”

The libero leaned back, blinking innocently with a sheepish expression on his visage. “Aw, shucks.”

Kuroo passed by with half-lidded eyes. “You’re gonna lose your rep as the demon senpai that you are with a face like that.” The retorts coming from his shorter friend weren’t acknowledged as Kuroo stepped at the end of the court since it was his turn to serve. Taking a deep breath and expelling all his worries and uncertainties growing inside his brain, Kuroo glanced at the bench as he waited for the whistle to give him a clear sign to serve. When caramel irises met with golden ones, the dark-haired captain’s mind cleared in an instant, throwing the ball at the same time the whistle echoed through the gymnasium. Smacking the ball with all his strength, the opponent team didn’t have time to react to how fast his serve went. “Yes!” Kuroo shouted alongside the cheers from the bleachers. However, his eyes were solely focused on Yukimi, discreetly winking at her before bouncing the ball for another serve.

The next few minutes were hurtful for Yukimi to watch. She witnessed Taketora slowly falling prey in Nohebi’s words. The more effort they put into doing things they do best, the more prone they are to self-destructing. The frustration painted clear on the ace’s face was enough to tell that Nekoma wasn’t in their top shape in the current game.

Taketora dove for the ball that came from Daishou’s spike, making it bounce in the direction of the audience. It was something that can be saved and Yaku was quick on his feet to dash across the court to save the ball, jumping over the low barricade with his forearms bumping the ball. It was a perfect receive but it sent the libero tumbling to the audience. From that, it was Nohebi’s free ball, with their members scrambling to get the ball to the other side. Their hopes of getting a point were cut off when Lev jumped to spike it down in front of Daishou.

That attack was the least of the bench’s concern. Yukimi stood up from her seat, her face scrunched up in worry as she stared in the direction where Yaku landed. “Coach Naoi, can you prepare the first-aid kit?” The said man nodded, turning to the other end of the bench as Yukimi and Nekomata jogged to Yaku to check on his limping form. Yaku apologized to the person he stepped on before turning to brush off the pounding pain in his ankle. The libero stepped on his injured ankle, making Yukimi put an arm around his waist quickly to catch him. “Yakkun, don’t put pressure on it. Here, lean on me.”

Yaku nodded weakly at her, putting his arm around the girl’s shoulders, not registering how Inuoka also supported him on the other side. “But I’m really fine! I can still move so don’t worry, Yuki-chan, this will pass,” he tried convincing the dark-haired girl. “Plus, I don’t need to jump anyway so it’s fine—“

“Stop trying to force yourself, Yakkun,” Yukimi told him with furrowed brows, eyes searching for Naoi. “An ice bag and some elastic wrap please,” she requested from the coach, to which the latter nodded.

“Sorry,” was what came from Yaku’s lips the moment the three of them faced Kuroo and Kai. He could feel Yukimi patting his back in a rhythmic pattern that soothed him. The pain pulsed on his ankle and it made him put his head on Yukimi’s shoulder, slumping on the girl as his face contorted in a grimace, his strength rolling off of him in waves.

“We’re always causing you trouble every time you’re on the court, Yakkun,” Kuroo remarked with a smile, “so it wouldn’t hurt for you to watch us win from the bench now and then.”

Kai wiped his sweat from his head. “Don’t worry about it, think of this as a small break before the nationals.”

Exchanging smiles with the other third-years, Yukimi and Inuoka led Yaku to the side of the gymnasium, leaving behind their club members who all had clouds of mixed emotions shading over them. As Naoi took over Inuoka, Yaku was deep in thought, biting his lips as tears started budding in his eyes.

“Believe in them. They’ll definitely pick up and win this for you, Yakkun. You’ve done so much for the team, I think it’s time that you get something in return and that is the ticket to the nationals.” Yukimi glanced at the libero with a small smile, the latter tearing up even more at the words. “So chin up, Yakkun, don’t beat yourself up because of what happened. Injuries are bound to happen but losing hope is never an answer.”

The remaining players of the Nekoma volleyball team will do everything to get that victory they always dreamed of. They just have to get ten points back and make sure the other side doesn’t get another point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> classes officially start tomorrow and i'm scared aaaaaa the updates might be later than usual bc this sem is literal hell (every week is the death of me). my university doesn't know when to have mercy. aaaand we reached 200k words ahck i can't believe it hhhhhh
> 
> i hope you have an amazing day and thank you for reading !!


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